Second Chances
by mynewhobby
Summary: When Oliver Shaw meets Emily, he doesn't think anything of it. But after spending some time with her, he realizes that he might actually be able to move on after Zoe left him. What happens though when Sam starts to bug Oliver about his obvious feelings for her? (Not the greatest description. I apologize.)
1. Chapter 1

So, Oliver Shaw is my favourite character on the show and I thought that he has been dealing with a lot of crappy personal stuff lately. I'm not sure what is to come in season 4 with his marriage but I thought that I'd play around with the idea of what would happen if him and Zoe did in fact split up. He is such a great, caring guy and I thought he deserved a bit of love.

Hope you enjoy. I'm not sure if I'll continue with this story. I think I'll wait to see what you all think.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters from Rookie Blue, just my OC.

* * *

Something didn't feel right. She held onto her elbows too tightly and looked nervous. Scared. Panicked even. Nothing specific stood out about the scene, except for the way the girl carried herself.

Emily felt like she was over reacting, but knew that it would eat away at her if something was in fact wrong, and she didn't do anything about it. She grabbed the cordless phone from her living room and dialed the police, knowing that 911 was too drastic for what she was seeing. She made her way back into her office and peaked through the curtains, carefully watching those below her window. She waited for the other end to pick up. Five rings had gone by, and Emily considered hanging up, thinking that this was probably a stupid idea after all.

"Toronto Police Service, Division 15. Officer Wendel speaking. How can I help you?" a woman's voice asked on the other end.

Emily paused for a moment, unsure of how to explain the reason for her calling. Normally, if she was making an important call she briefly rehearsed what she was going to say so she didn't end up stuttering or sounding like a complete fool. But this time she didn't think, she just reacted.

"Hello?" she heard Officer Wendel asking.

"Yes, hi. Um, I'm not exactly sure if there is actually something going on in front of my apartment, but something doesn't feel right," Emily paused for a second, knowing full well how pointless this call must sound to Wendel on the other end.

"Okay," Wendel said, sounding impatient.

Emily shook her head and tried to continue the best she could. "There is a blue SUV parked outside with two men and a young women standing outside of it. The young woman looks really scared and the men are acting agitated," she pulled the curtain closed a little when she noticed one of the men looking up at the apartment building. "It could very well be nothing, but I wanted to call just in case something really was going on," Emily finished, hoping that she got her point across.

"Okay, where are you located right now?" Wendel asked, with clicking sounds coming through the phone.

"I'm standing in my office looking out the window," Emily answered, then closed her eyes, and immediately felt completely stupid. _She wants to know my address, idiot,_ she yelled at herself.

"I meant your address, miss," Wendel clarified, sounding annoyed.

"3639 Temple Drive, apartment 3C" Emily answered, feeling herself growing warm with embarrassment.

"And you said they are near a vehicle? Can you see the vehicles license plate?" she asked.

"No, sorry, it's parked directly in front of my window so I can't see the plate from where I'm standing," Emily explained.

She heard clicking on a keyboard and muffled conversations in the background while she waited for any kind of response. Outside, Emily saw one of the men pointing towards the back seat, yelling at the young girl. She couldn't make out what he said but saw the girl tuck her head into her chest and lift her shoulders before getting into the backseat of the SUV. The two men then followed, one in the back, the other into the driver's seat.

"Oh, they just got into the vehicle," she announced and saw the SUV pull away. Emily tried to get the license number but it was too dark and blocked by a tree.

"Okay, I'm going to send someone to come by and take a look and they'll come and take your statement," Wendel explained. "What's your name?"

"Emily Weaver," she answered, still looking down the road through the curtain, hoping to see the vehicle so she could see the license plate.

"Alright, it might be a while since it's Friday night, but they will be there within an hour or so," Wendel said.

"Thank you," Emily said, feeling a little more at ease, then hung up and looked around her office, trying to figure out what to do until the police showed up.

* * *

Oliver Shaw and Sam Swarek were processing a man that they had just picked up for causing a disturbance outside of a bar. The man had vomited all over himself and was urinating in front of a group of people when they arrived to check out the complaint. He reeked of urine and vomit and Oliver just wanted to be done with him for the night.

"Guys, I got a weird call from a woman saying she thinks she saw something strange outside her apartment. You mind checking it out?" Wendel asked, as they were about to walk into the break room.

"Sure, what's the address?" Sam asked, looking tired.

"3639 Temple Drive, apartment 3C. Names, uh, Emily Weaver," Wendel read from a slip of paper before handing it to him.

"Might as well, that's not too far from here," Sam said, looking over at Oliver.

Oliver grumbled and dropped his shoulders. "No, no, no, Sammie, we're almost done for the night," he said, hoping that Sam would agree to just finish up their paperwork and head home. Sam gave Oliver a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. "Fine," Oliver gave in, knowing that Sam wasn't going to agree with wasting the last of their shift.

"So, what do you think it's about?" Oliver asked Sam, while getting into their car.

"Who knows," Sam answered. "She probably saw a homeless guy digging through something," he guessed.

Oliver scoffed and started to drive towards the address that Wendel gave them, familiar with the area because it was only a few blocks from his own place. It was getting close to the end of their shift and he just wanted it to be over. He wanted to get back to 15 then maybe head over to the Penny for a drink before going home to his empty apartment. Oliver had been going through a rough patch with Zoe over the last year, but just last month she finally told him that she wanted a divorce. Oliver pleaded with her to give him another chance but she wouldn't hear him out. She insisted that it was no longer a matter of spending more time with her and the girls at home. They had grown apart and there wasn't a marriage left to save anymore. Luckily, Zoe wasn't being completely unreasonable and she agreed to let Oliver spend several nights a week with his girls. She knew that he was a great dad and that they still needed him around. He was very grateful for that.

* * *

A buzzing sound woke Emily up, making her feel completely disoriented. _Why am I on the_ _couch?_ she asked herself, then remembered that she called the police. As quickly as her body would let her, she stood up and made her way to her front door, pressing the intercom.

"Hello?" she asked with a catch in her voice, then released the button.

"Officers Shaw and Swarek, 15 Division. We're here about a complaint you called in," the voice on the other end explained.

Emily looked at the clock on her microwave and saw that it was 3:47 am. _Yeah, an hour or so_, she thought.

"Okay," she simply answered, then pressed the button to let them in.

A few moments later, Emily jumped when she heard a firm knocking, then walked to the door. She looked through the peep hole and saw two police officers standing in the hallway. The one standing in front was looking downward, showing a thinning hairline, and the one standing in back was slightly taller and was quite attractive. She stepped back from the door and undid the deadbolt and chain, then opened the door. When she pulled open the door, the officer in front of her looked up and smiled.

"Good evening, Miss," Oliver began, "My name is Officer Shaw, this is Officer Swarek. We're here about a call you made earlier this evening," he went on to explain. He looked at Emily and saw that she wasn't wearing any makeup, which was understandable seeing as how it was the middle of the night. She had her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore blue checkered pajama pants and a black t-shirt, making her look younger than he assumed she was.

"Yes, come in," Emily offered, with a quick shake of her head, then stepped back beside the door to let the officers enter her apartment. They were both taller than her, and intimidating with their bulky equipment and confident statures. She could hear static and broken voices coming through on their radios and the jangle of the equipment on their belts.

"So what did you see that made you feel the need to call?" Swarek asked, looking at Emily.

"Well, it's probably nothing, but I woke up and needed a drink of water. That was around 12:30, and when I was on my way back to my room I passed by my office door and heard faint voices outside," Emily paused, trying to visualize what she saw and heard. "One of the voices sounded angry and it made me curious, so I went to take a look. When I looked outside I saw a blue SUV parked in front of the building and there were three people outside of it, standing in the street. Two men and a younger woman. The young woman caught my attention," she stopped and remembered how the girl looked. "She didn't look comfortable with those men. She was clutching her arms close to her body and looked worried. And the men seemed agitated," Emily shared, as Oliver took notes. When he finished he looked up at her. Emily then noticed how nice his green eyes were. They were very kind and inviting. She gave him a small, involuntary smile, then caught herself.

"Did you see the license plate at all?" he asked, wondering why she had just smiled at him.

"No, I couldn't get a look at it. When they got in the SUV and drove away, the tree outside of the apartment blocked my view of the street," Emily explained, while Oliver nodded and continued to take notes.

"Did you get a good look at any of them?" Sam asked.

Emily took a deep breath and tried to remember what she had seen.

"The girl was in her mid-teens, I'd say. Dark, wavy hair, down past her shoulders. She was wearing a bright pink top. One of the guys wore a white jacket and a white baseball cap. He had one of those chin strap beards," she described, drawing her finger across her jawline. "The other had a shaved head and wore a dark coloured t-shirt. And he had a tattoo on his neck." Emily gave the best description that she could. It was dark outside and they were far enough away that she couldn't really see too many details.

"Okay, that's good," Oliver said, looking genuinely impressed. He appreciated the details that she remembered.

"I know that it was probably nothing, but it just didn't seem right," Emily went on with a uneasy look on her face. "At first, I thought it was just a young couple having an argument but the girl looked scared," she stopped and looked down, shaking her head. "I don't know, I just couldn't ignore it."

Oliver watched Emily trying to rationalize why she called them. Her arms were defensively crossed in front of her and she wasn't looking up at them at all. He realized that she probably thought they didn't believed her. Oliver was actually impressed that she had called it in. Having three young daughters himself, he would want someone to call the police if they thought that any one of his girls was in trouble.

"No, no it's a good thing you called," he assured quietly, taking a step closer to her. "Better safe than sorry, right?" he asked, and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Right," Emily agreed, lowering her arms.

Oliver then asked Emily for her phone number in case they needed to get hold of her about the incident and assured her that it probably was just an argument between a young couple. He then closed his notebook and pulled out a business card from his vest.

"Okay, well I think that's all we need for now," Oliver said, handing Emily the business card. "We'll contact you if we have any more questions, but here is my card in case you think of anything else that you saw."

Emily looked at the card and lowered it after she skimmed the information. She looked up and saw Swarek giving her a smirk and thought that they must think she was an idiot for calling them.

"Okay, I will," she answered.

Oliver turned and nudged Sam in the arm to lead the way. When they got to the door, Oliver turned around and smiled at Emily.

"Good night," he said, nodding his head, then turned left down the hallway.

Emily closed the door after them and locked it. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was 4:30 in the morning. She sighed heavily and looked around, pursing her lips. _Maybe I should just stay up and do a workout video or something_, she considered.

"Who am I kidding?" she asked herself out loud, then turned off the lights in her apartment and went to her bedroom. She crawled into bed and groaned when she realized that if she was lucky she would only get about four hours of sleep before she had to get up for her game. Emily closed her eyes and started to relax when she randomly pictured Oliver's eyes when he looked up at her. Her eyes shot open and she looked around in the dark, wondering why she had pictured him.

Oliver and Sam got into their car and started down the street.

"Thought you didn't want to come to this call. Why'd you do all the talking?" Sam asked accusingly, adjusting his seat belt.

"No idea what you're talking about," Oliver answered innocently.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think :-)**


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews, they definitely encouraged me to keep writing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. And I wanted to assure you that Sam will not be the bad guy in this story, he's just looking out for Oliver.

**Disclaimer**: I only own my OC.

* * *

On Sunday evening, Emily's phone rang while she was washing up her dishes from dinner. She fumbled with her gloves and managed to get one of her hands free.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello? Miss Weaver? This is Officer Shaw calling from Division 15. How are you doing this evening?" Oliver asked.

Emily juggled the phone between her ear and shoulder while trying to remove the other glove. "I'm good, how are you?" she asked nervously, not knowing why he was calling.

"I'm good, thanks. Listen, I'm calling because we have a case that might possibly be linked to what you saw on Friday night," he explained.

"Oh," Emily said, walking out of her kitchen.

"I was wondering if you could come down to the station so we could ask you a few more questions?" Oliver went on.

"Um, yeah sure. When did you need me to come by?" Emily replied, starting to feel a little scared. _Did something bad happen?_ she wondered.

"Are you able to come by sometime tomorrow?" Oliver asked, hoping to get her in as soon as possible.

"Yeah, I can come by after work, if that's not too late. Probably around 5?" she offered.

"That'll be fine. Just ask for me when you get to the front desk," Oliver instructed.

"Okay I will," she agreed.

"Thank you, Miss Weaver," Oliver said.

"You're, you're welcome," Emily stuttered, nervous about what she might have actually witnessed.

Emily was distant the entire next day at work. She was distracted and her mind was racing all day, coming up with about ten different scenarios that she could possibly walk into when she got to the station. The worst being that they had found the young girls' body somewhere. She shook off the horrible feeling that came with that thought and tried to focus on work.

"You okay?" Linda asked, looking at Emily with a raised eyebrows. "You look like you're going to be sick," she added.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous about going to the police station tonight," Emily explained, getting her purse together.

"What?" Linda asked loudly.

Emily looked up and saw the confusion on her face then realized that she hadn't told Linda about what happened on the weekend. She went on to explain it to her and ended with telling her that she had to go down to speak to one of the officers.

"Wow, I hope it's nothing big," Linda said, voicing Emily's own opinion.

"Me too," Emily agreed, raising her eyebrows.

Emily left worked and made her way to the station. She stood outside of division 15 watching the officers coming and going. It had been a few years since she was last here getting a criminal record check done for work. Now she was here for god knows what, and her hands started to shake a little.

When she entered the station, she found a line of people waiting across from a closed in office area, with Officers on computers, phones and filling out paper work. She walked up, making sure she wasn't cutting in front of anyone and waited for the man on the other side of the glass to acknowledge her.

"Can I help your ma'am?" he asked. Emily cringed at being called ma'am. She didn't think that 30 was old enough to be considered a ma'am, especially by someone older than her.

"Hi, I'm here to see Officer Shaw," she explained, sounding almost unsure, as she pushed the card Oliver gave her along the curved metal tray under the glass partition.

The officer at the desk, Officer Klee, pushed it back under the glass toward Emily, shaking his head slightly. "You can keep that," he said. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Emily Weaver," Emily answered, putting the card away in her purse.

Officer Klee picked up a phone and dialed Oliver's extension. After a few unanswered rings he turned around to look into the office area and saw Oliver eating at a desk. He reached over and knocked on the window, getting Oliver's attention. Oliver looked over and saw Klee waving at him to come over to the front desk. He put down his sandwich and walked over to the front desk area. Klee put down the phone and pointed towards Emily.

"Whoa," Oliver let out, startled when he saw Emily standing there, smiling at him. When he first met he, she wasn't unattractive, she just didn't stand out to him. Now, he actually noticed how pretty she was. He shook the thought away as he got to the door and opened it for her.

"Hello," he sang, then looked down, feeling weird for how he just greeted her.

"Hi," Emily answered with a bigger smile.

"Yeah, uh, come on in," Oliver said, holding the door open for her and raising his arm, gesturing for her to enter.

Emily smiled her thanks then clutched her purse and entered through the door that Oliver was holding open. She paused a few steps past him, waiting for him to show her where to go.

"Thanks for coming in so quickly," Oliver said, walking in front of Emily.

"Oh, it's no problem," she answered, feeling nervous about what he might have to tell her.

Oliver continued walking towards the desk he had been sitting at, taking a look back at Emily to make sure she was keeping up. Emily weaved between desks, careful not to bump into anything while following Oliver.

"Okay, have a seat," Oliver instructed, pointing to a chair next to the desk he himself was sitting down at. He saw the half eaten sandwich on the desk and crumpled it up before throwing it in the trash.

Emily sat down and waited to hear why she had been called in. She wore a nervous look on her face and Oliver noticed this.

"It's okay, don't be nervous," he said with a small laugh, trying to calm Emily down. Emily took a deep breath and exhaled, appreciating Oliver's relaxed nature.

"So, why am I here?" she asked, trying not to sound rude but wanting to know what this was all about.

"Okay, we got a report of a missing girl on Saturday morning. The girls mother said that her daughters friend had told her that her daughter was supposed to be meeting a guy that she had been talking to on the internet, but the didn't know anything about the guy," Oliver explained.

Emily waited for Oliver to go on. She was expecting to hear the worst news possible and she was trying to brace herself for it.

"I have a few pictures here and I'd like you to tell me if you recognize anyone in them," Oliver said, grabbing a file on his desk. He opened it and grabbed the few pages that were inside. Emily watched as Oliver fanned out four pictures of teenaged girls, and instantly recognized the girl that she saw on the street.

"That one. That's the girl I saw," Emily exclaimed before Oliver had even finished setting out the pictures. She quickly pointed to the wavy haired brunette with brown eyes. Oliver smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Alright, it appears that you can help us after all," he explained with a grin, while gathering the pictures and putting them away in the folder.

Emily was relieved that Oliver seemed almost cheerful that she had recognized the girl. She hoped that that meant the girl was still okay.

"So, we found Sarah's online," he started, but paused when Emily gave him a questioning look. "The girl's name is Sarah," he clarified then continued when Emily nodded. "We found Sarah's online profile and we were hoping that you might be able to recognize one or both of them men she was with, in her list of friends."

"Yeah, sure," Emily said with wide eyes, hoping she could help in any way.

Oliver started clicking through the computer on his desk and came up with Sarah's profile. "We don't have access to her account but we can see who her friends are. The pictures are small though," Oliver said, turning the computer screen to face Emily. "Hope you can see them clearly enough."

"I should be fine," Emily assured him, leaning closer to the computer. Oliver saw this and stood up.

"Here, take my chair, you'll be able to see better," he offered, holding the back of the chair.

"Oh, um, thank you," Emily thanked him, standing up and moving to his chair, feeling a little awkward. Oliver pushed the chair in after she sat down.

Oliver stood behind Emily for a moment and watched her start to scroll down through the list of friends. "She's got quite a list huh?" he asked.

Emily turned to look at Oliver with a serious expression. "827 friends? Wow, I don't think I've even met that many people," she said.

Oliver hit the back of her chair. "Ha!" he barked, startling Emily. "Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked shortly after, smiling at her.

"Water?" Emily asked with a timid smile, not wanting to impose. She was nervous, which always made her thirsty.

"Be back in a minute," Oliver offered then left Emily to keep looking. She scrolled down and didn't see anyone that looked familiar. Mostly teenagers with weird hair and bright makeup. Nothing like the men she had seen in front of her apartment that night.

Oliver got back to the desk with two bottles of water, placing one in front of Emily. She looked up and thanked him with a small smirk. He sat down in the chair beside Emily and looked at the computer screen, slowly scrolling down as Emily took her time going through the pictures.

He glanced over at Emily and took a minute to look at her. When he first met her, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. It was now down, hanging a few inches past her shoulders and have a wave to it. Oliver couldn't figure out what colour it was but then the word "auburn" popped into his mind. Zoe had dyed her hair auburn once and it didn't suit her at all. She quickly dyed it back to a light brown, which looked much better on her. Emily's hair suited her. Even from her profile, Oliver could see that it made Emily's eyes look really blue. She had a light dusting of freckles on her cheeks and nose, which weren't covered up with makeup. Oliver noticed that besides a bit of mascara, she wasn't wearing much makeup at all.

"That's one of them!" Emily yelled out, then covered her mouth when she realized how loud she had said that. Oliver tried to hide his smile by biting his lip and leaned in to see who Emily had found.

"Ah, TDot Playa," he said, looking at a picture of a young man with a thin beard, making what his daughter calls a "duck face."

"I'm guessing that's not his real name," Emily assumed, looking at Oliver. He was leaning in close to her and she could see his green eyes again. She turned away quickly and blushed.

"Yeah I hope not, or his parents set him up for failure," Oliver said, half serious. Emily laughed but tried to stifle it. She didn't want to be laughing if Sarah was in trouble.

Oliver sensed this and looked at Emily. "It's okay to laugh," he assured her with a warm smile.

Emily shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I just feel bad that I'm laughing while she's missing," she said, looking over at the computer.

"Ollie!" Emily heard from behind them. They both turned around and saw Sam walking towards them. Emily again noticed how handsome Sam was. He had that typically handsome police officer look. Tall, dark and handsome, if you will. She looked back at Oliver as he acknowledged Sam.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Any luck?" Sam asked, leaning against the desk when he got to them. He looked down at Emily and gave her a smile. "Emily, right?" he asked.

Emily nodded. "Yeah, nice to see you again," she said, then looked back at the computer.

"Uh, yeah actually Emily just recognized one off the guys she saw," Oliver said with a big smile.

"That's great," Sam said. He looked at Oliver and Emily and could tell that they were doing well without his help. "Well I'll leave you to it," he added, then walked away, giving Oliver a wink. Oliver looked at Sam with a furrowed brow, wondering what the wink was about, but decided to let it go.

Emily spent the next hour going through the long list of Sarah's friends but didn't recognize anyone else.

"Don't worry about it, you really helped us out here," Oliver assured her when she apologized for not being able to find the second guy. They made their way towards the exit of the station.

"I know that this might be against your protocol or something, but would you be possible to let me know if you find her?" Emily asked, looking genuinely concerned. "I'd just like to know if she makes it home safely." She gave Oliver a small smile and he felt his breath catch in his chest.

"Yeah, absolutely. I'll, uh, I'll give you a call if we, when we find her," he told Emily.

"Thank you," she said, with relief and extended her hand to Oliver. He looked at her hand and extended his own. She shook his hand with a firm grip, which surprised Oliver, then thanked him again and turned to leave. He watched Emily as she made her way to the main doors and held them open with a smile for an elderly woman who was walking in.

Oliver turned to make his way back to his desk and realized that he was smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Didn't think this chapter would end up being this long but here it is. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I only own my OC.

* * *

That Tuesday, the school that Emily worked at was having an activity day. Some of the students and staff were going to go public skating and they were all looking forward to it, Emily included. She always loved bringing the kids skating because it gave her an opportunity to get on the ice. Emily was and had always been a tomboy. She grew up playing any sport that was available to her and felt at home on the ice, on a field or on a court. It bothered Emily that she was a natural at any sport she tried but she dreaded using exercise equipment. She wished that she was thinner than she was but whenever she tried working out at a gym, she'd usually give up only several minutes after starting. Instead she played hockey, basketball, soccer and volleyball in local leagues, which usually kept her busy at least once or twice a week.

* * *

It was Oliver's last day working before having four days off. He had just gone through a hard shift change, going from nights to evenings to days in a short time and it was starting to catch up to him. He was worn out and was looking forward to having a few days off to relax and to have his girls over for dinner that Wednesday night.

Oliver and Dov entered the nearby community recreation center regarding a canteen that had been broken into during the night. There had been $100 stolen from the cash along with a few bags of chips and other treats. Oliver thought that it was either a teenager, an employee or maybe a junkie who was responsible.

"Do you have a security camera in the area?" he asked the manager, doubting that there was one.

"Just at the front entrance," the manager informed him.

"Alright then, we should take a look around to see if we can find anything out of order," Dov suggested enthusiastically. Oliver looked over at Dov and gave him an exhausted look, knowing that they weren't going to find anything and that $100 wasn't enough to really get too upset about. The manager appreciated the offer but also knew that they probably weren't going to find anything.

After leaving the managers office, Oliver and Dov made their way towards the front entrance. Oliver's attention was drawn to his left when he saw movement coming from the skating rink. There were kids and adults skating around all with different skill levels. Oliver grinned when he saw a little girl trying to shuffle instead of skate on the ice, which reminded him of when his girls were learning how to skate. The memory brought on a small twinge of pain, since those had been happier times. He took an extra second to look around and was surprised when he spotted Emily on the ice. At least he thought it was her.

"Where are you going?" Dov asked as Oliver took a few steps closer to the glass that looked out onto the rink.

"Just, um, gimme a minute," Oliver said quickly, squinting out onto the ice. It was Emily. He knew it when he saw her smile. She was holding the hand of a little boy, probably around 8 years old and was trying to help him skate. She gave the little boy a high five when he stopped without falling. Oliver smiled when he saw how proud the little boy was of himself for not falling. Another woman then skated up to Emily and pointed towards the other end of the rink. For a second, Oliver feared that they might have spotted him watching. Emily nodded then began to quickly skate around counterclockwise, following the flow of the rest of the skaters, and met up with an older boy, about 12 years old. She passed him and began to skate backwards, making exaggerated turns and flourishes. The boy looked upset at first but began to smile when he saw Emily acting so silly. She moved towards him and put her arm across his shoulder and they skated around together for a lap, talking then both acting silly.

"Oliver, what are you looking at?" Dov asked, getting Oliver's attention.

"What? Nothing. What?" Oliver stuttered, feeling very distracted.

"We should take a look around," Dov went on, noticing that Oliver wasn't looking away from the rink and he had a small smirk on his lips.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, let's go," Oliver agreed, finally looking over at Dov.

* * *

Emily got off of the ice and began to help the kids take off their skates. She laughed at their red noses and how exhausted they were after skating around for the last hour. She could feel her own legs start to wobble a bit before she took off her own skates. After everyone was back in their shoes, they gathered their belongings and headed into the warmer lobby where the children sat down to wait for the bus that would be picking them up soon. Emily sat down with them and made sure they had everything. One of the boys told her that he had dropped his mitten in the arena so Emily offered to run back and get it for him.

Oliver and Dov walked back through the front doors just then and waved back at the children that sat waving at them with wide eyes and huge smiles. Oliver smiled at how excited the children were to see them. They made their way back to the managers office and informed him that they didn't see anything that would suggest a break in and suggested that he look over the video tape to see if he could spot anyone that looked suspicious. The manager agreed, knowing there wasn't much that could be done, and thanked Oliver and Dov for coming.

They made their way back towards the front entrance where Oliver saw Emily again. She was ushering the children they had seen when they walked in, out the front doors to their bus. He got excited when he saw her but didn't quite know why he was reacting that way. He was smiling as they made their way closer to the doors and Dov noticed the goofy grin on his face. He looked over in the direction that Oliver was looking in and saw Emily.

"She's cute," he offered, watching Emily laugh with the kids.

"Shut up, Epstein," Oliver said defensively, smacking him lightly in the arm. He looked over at Dov and saw him grinning.

"What? She is," Dov answered back, having fun with the fact that he just caught Oliver staring at a woman.

"Let's go, okay?" Oliver said, slapping Dov twice on the shoulder, hoping Dov would drop it.

* * *

When they got back to the station, Sam approached Oliver with a relaxed smile.

"They found her," he simply stated. Oliver continued to look at Sam, waiting for him to continue. Finally, he pursed his lips and shrugged.

"Found who?" he asked with raised eyebrows, unsure of who Sam was talking about.

"Sarah King," Sam answered. "The guy she was with was spotted at a convenience store and when an officer approached him he took off on foot. He ran the plates and got the guys address. They went by the house and found her there alone. She's at the hospital now getting checked out, but they said she seems fine," Sam finished explaining and could see the look of relief that washed over Oliver as his shoulders relaxed and he exhaled loudly.

"Thank god," Oliver said and sat down at his desk. Sarah wasn't much older than Izzy and he couldn't imagine how her parents had been dealing with her missing for the last few days.

"Do they have the guy who took her?" Oliver asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, he took off and they couldn't find him. They're still looking him, though." Oliver pictured the guy that Emily had pointed out on the computer and started to get upset when he remembered the stupid look on the guys face.

Oliver then thought of how lucky they were that Emily had spotted them outside of her apartment that night. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't have known who to look for. He then remembered that he promised to call Emily when they found out any news on Sarah. He took out his notebook and found her number from the day they first spoke to her. Oliver dialed her number and looked at his watch when he heard her answering machine pick up. It was only just after 3:30 so she wouldn't be done work yet. He left her a brief message and found himself getting a little tongue tied as he spoke. He hung up and looked over to see Sam watching him from the corner of his eye and smiling.

"What?" Oliver asked, unsure of why Sam was smiling.

Sam shook his head and stuck out his lower lip. "Nothin'," Sam answered, unconvincingly.

* * *

"Drink at the Penny?" Sam asked as they were changing at the end of their shift. The end of Oliver's work week finally arrived and he was anxious to get out of the station.

"Yeah, let's go," Oliver answered then stopped and threw his head back. "Damn! No, I can't. I gotta pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow night," he explained.

"Can't you do it tomrrow?" Sam asked, fixing his collar.

"No, I gotta clean my apartment all day tomorrow. It's not pretty," Oliver answered, screwing up his face.

"Alright, well I'll have one for ya then," Sam teased, slapping Oliver playfully on the back.

Oliver grumbled as he grabbed his bag from his locker. "Nice Sammy. Nice."

They got outside and Oliver made his way to his truck, deciding that he'd treat himself to a burger on the way home after picking up the groceries. _There's no way I'm cooking tonight,_ he thought.

* * *

Emily walked into the market and felt the muscles in her legs start to stiffen. She had walked to the store after leaving work to pick up a couple of things she was running low on. She usually picked up a few groceries a couple of times a week because it was easier to walk to her apartment with only one or two bags instead of an entire weeks worth of food. She didn't mind not having a car, expect when it came time to lug home lots of groceries. She got by with taking the bus or accepting rides with friends and coworkers and it made sense for her to not have a car in a big city. She grabbed a small cart and headed for the produce section.

"Okay, what should I make?" Oliver muttered to himself while standing in front of the wide selection of pastas. He decided on linguine and picked up a bottle of simple pasta sauce, figuring he could add some ground beef and a few spices to it to make it more substantial. He made his way back down the aisle towards the meat section and pulled his cart back quickly when someone was rounding the corner.

"Sorry," a man said, as he pulled back to let Oliver go first. Oliver walked ahead and thanked the man on his way to find the ground beef.

Emily tried to visualize what she had in her fridge, feeling stupid for forgetting her list at home. She walked through the produce and bakery section and rounded the corner. Standing in front of the refrigerated meat section was Oliver. She stopped abruptly when she saw him and didn't know what to do. Emily considered whether she should continue walking by him or turn and go the other way. She would have liked to say hello but didn't know if he would be annoyed at seeing her again. She could feel her heart beating faster when she noticed how cute he looked. She found him handsome in his uniform but she thought he looked much better in his regular clothes. He wore dark jeans and a light blue t shirt under a black zipped up hoodie. He looked more relaxed than when she had seen him while he was working and she smiled when she saw that his hair was messed up a little. She looked away quickly when she felt herself start to blush. _Stop it, Emily. you don't even know the guy_, she said, trying to calm herself. Her nerves finally got the best of her and she turned down the closest aisle, walking away from Oliver.

Oliver finished up with the rest of the groceries he needed and headed towards the cash registers. He picked a line with several people in front of him and looked around while waiting for his turn. He looked over at the shortest line and spotted a woman with her head down. She had the same coloured hair as Emily and he took in a deep breath. A loud noise from the back of the store caused just about everyone in line to turn around and Oliver saw that it was Emily. He smiled when he saw her. _Twice in one day_, he thought.

Emily had reached the checkout and watched as an older man at the front of the line handed over change one coin at a time to the cashier, and chuckled to herself, thinking it was sweet. She the looked down and fished around in her purse to take out her wallet so she would be ready when it was her turn at the cash. A loud noise from the back of the store caught Emily's attention but when she looked back, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She glanced up to her left and saw Oliver again, standing in line to checkout. This time he was looking back at her and wore a big smile. She smiled back and nervously gave him a small wave. His smile deepened.

There was a moment of awkwardness when both acknowledged each other but weren't sure if they should yell out a hello or just end their interaction with a simple smile. They both stayed in line and looked back towards each other every so often, always ending with a shy smile of recognition.

Emily's turn at cash came first and she was disappointed that her transaction went through so quickly. Part of her really wanted to say hello to Oliver but she knew that by the time she finished, he wouldn't even be up to the cash yet. She payed and slowly gathered her items into her bags.

Oliver noticed that Emily was already through the checkout and he wanted his own line to move quicker. He decided that seeing her would be a good opportunity to tell her about Sarah again in person. He thought she might appreciate the news coming directly from him. He saw Emily walk towards his checkout line on her way out of the store and he was thankful that she looked up and over at him. When she looked right at him, Oliver raised his arm and help up one finger, telling her to hold on a minute.

Emily got shivers when she saw Oliver look at her and give her the "one minute" gesture. _Oh, my god, oh, my god, he wants to talk to me_, she squealed in her mind. Emily nodded then took a few steps closer to the exit and sat down on the small bench that stood there. Oliver saw her sit down and was glad that she was going to wait for him. _Okay_, w_hy am I nervous_? he asked himself as he looked back over at Emily.

A few minutes later, Oliver finished his turn at the checkout and made his way over to Emily. She stood up and tucked her hair benind her ear.

"Hey," Oliver said when he reached her.

"Hi," she answered back and took a shallow breath when she saw him smile. She hadn't been this nervous and excited about a guy in years and it scared her a little since she hardly knew anything about him.

"Did you get my message?" Oliver asked.

"Uh, no I didn't. What wrong?" Emily asked nervously.

Oliver noticed the change in Emily's demeanour and gave her a reassuring smile. "No, no, it's good news. They found Sarah," he said enthusiastically.

Emily closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Oh, thank god," she said, feeling a huge sense of releif.

Oliver went on to tell her the details that Sam gave him and told her that she should be back home in a day or two.

"That's great news," Emily said, switching one of her bags from one hand to the other. Oliver noticed this and took it as a sign that she probably wanted to get going.

"Well, I should let you get on your way," he said, regretfully. Emily thought he was trying to get on his way and felt a little hurt.

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know," Emily said with her eyebrows pulled together timidly. She knew that since Sarah had been found, there would be no need to see Oliver again. Emily was relieved and thrilled that Sarah had been found and was going to be home safely soon, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed at the idea of not seeing Oliver again. She gave him another small smile and turned to walk out of the market first, feeling her stomach sink.

Oliver followed a few steps behind and watched as she went in the opposite direction when he turned towards his truck. He put his bags in back and looked in Emily's direction, seeing her walk away off of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. He got into his truck and pulled out of his spot, driving towards her.

Emily started on her way home, fiddling with her bags as they were starting to grow heavy on her. She could hear a vehicle pulling up close behind her and she picked up her pace as it inched closer to her on the side of the road. She cautiously looked over her shoulder and saw a truck driving slowly next to her. Emily felt goosebumps when she saw Oliver in the drivers seat, smiling at her. He rolled down the window closest to her and leaned over into the passengers side seat.

"Need a ride?" he asked eagerly.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't know why I had so much trouble finishing up this chapter. I've been busy with, well, life, but I'm hoping that I don't lose any momentum in writing it. Thank you for your kind reviews and I really do appreciate reading them. They make me want to write even more.

Hope you enjoy the chapter and have a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters from rookie Blue. I only own my OC.

* * *

"Um, no it's okay, I wouldn't want to impose," Emily answered, regretting it as soon as she said the words. She really did want to accept Oliver's offer.

"Oh, come on, it's no problem. I know where you live," Oliver said, then quickly shook his head while his eyes widened. "Wait, wow, that sounded really creepy, I'm sorry," he confessed, feeling embarrassed. "What I meant was that I remember where you live and you don't live very far from my own place, so you wouldn't be imposing." _What the hell was that_? he asked himself.

Emily saw Oliver start to blush a little and couldn't help but smile. "Okay. If it's not too much trouble," she accepted with a questioning look. Oliver replied by leaning over and unlocking the passenger side door. Emily walked over and climbed into Oliver's truck, feeling grateful and nervous about getting a ride with him. He was being really sweet and she appreciated his kindness.

Oliver pulled away from the curb and began his way down the street. He looked over at Emily and saw her holding onto the handles of her shopping bags, and looking straight ahead. She looked over and smiled when she saw him looking at her and they both turned away from each other quickly. Oliver decided to try to fill the silence.

"So ... you've got some moves," he said as a compliment, but it came out a little too smooth. He looked over and saw Emily leaning away from him. She was staring back at him with wide eyes and her eyebrows were pulled together in disbelief. Oliver realized how weird that must have sounded and again, tried to explain himself. "I mean, I saw you today ... skating... at the rink on seventh," he didn't know why everything he was saying was making him sound like such a creep. He wasn't trying to hit on Emily, he was just trying to make conversation. "I was at a call there and saw you skating with a bunch of kids," he tried to explain quickly, then looked back over at Emily. She was still staring at him but her face was a little more relaxed. He couldn't read her expression though. He turned his attention back to the road without another word.

Emily watched as Oliver stared straight ahead and thought his reaction was funny. She often got tongue tied and had things come out the wrong way when she was feeling nervous, and she wondered whether Oliver's ramblings meant that he was nervous with her.

"Thank you," she said, grabbing Oliver's attention. "It was my school's activity day and I offered to do public skating," Emily went on to explain.

"Your school?" Oliver asked, appreciating that Emily had decided to speak to him instead of ride in silence for the rest of the drive.

"Yes, I work at Algonquin Elementary," she answered.

"Oh, you're a teacher?" Oliver asked, feeling more relaxed with her.

Emily smiled when once again she would have to clarify that she wasn't a teacher. "No, I'm a special needs counsellor," she answered and looked over at Oliver who looked confused. She smiled. "I work with the children in the school who have special needs and require extra assistance or counselling," she added.

Oliver nodded and was impressed. "Wow, that sounds," he couldn't think of the word he was looking for.

"Boring?" Emily offered.

"No, no, no," he shot out quickly. "That's impressive," he clarified.

"I like it," Emily replied and Oliver noticed the genuine smile on her face. She really did love her job and everyone she worked with. "It's not as impressive as police work though," she added, looking over at Oliver.

Oliver shook his head, still looking straight ahead. "Trust me, police work isn't always impressive," he said, in a boring tone.

Oliver looked out ahead and saw the restaurant that he was going to stop at for dinner. He thought about skipping it, but was really looking forward to a greasy burger. He hesitated for a second before speaking. "I'm sorry I was planning on grabbing a burger on the way home. Would you mind if I take a little detour?" he asked, looking over at Emily. She shook her head and smirked.

"No, not at all. I'm in no hurry," Emily confessed. She really didn't mind at all. She was enjoying her conversation with Oliver and didn't have anything she had to do when she got home.

Oliver pulled into the parking lot and lined up in the drive-through.

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No thank you, I'm okay," Emily answered appreciatively, and gave a small wave of her hand. At that moment, her stomach decided to give her away by making a loud growling noise. Her face crinkled and she closed her eyes, turning away from Oliver. Emily heard snickering and turned back to Oliver to find a huge smile across his lips, his shoulders bouncing up and down as he silently laughed at her.

"What do you want?" he finally asked playfully, with a tear forming in the corner of his right eye.

She began laughing too, and couldn't answer him for a few seconds. After finally being able to take a deep breath she cleared her throat.

"Um, a cheeseburger please," she answered, still smiling. "With no onions," she added quickly.

"No onions?" Oliver asked with a puzzled look, still catching his breath.

Emily shrugged with an innocent smile. "I'm not a fan of raw onions," she answered.

"Who doesn't like onions?" Oliver teased, smiling broadly at Emily.

Emily smiled as she watched how Oliver's face lit up when he smiled like that. He looked carefree and his eyes became warmer and kinder. She stared at him for a few seconds longer then shook her head slightly, worrying that he might catch her staring at him "It's pretty common," she answered, pretending to be insulted. "I work with a woman who asks for no onions then orders a side of onion rings." She was starting to feel little more comfortable with him and was enjoying his company.

"Okay, that's weird," he said with a puzzled look, while laughing. A lady's voice came over the speaker then, asking for their order. Oliver looked over at Emily again and leaned in closer towards her. "Did you want anything else? Fries? A drink?" he whispered, with raised eyebrows.

"No thank you," she whispered back with a small head shake. She felt a shiver spread through her torso because of the way that Oliver had leaned in closer to her. _Stop it, Emily. My god!_ she yelled at herself for getting caught up in that simple gesture.

"Yeah, hi. Can I get a cheeseburger with no onions and a double cheeseburger meal with no pickles? And a root beer to drink?" he finished, then waited for confirmation. The lady taking their order told him the total and he slowly moved up towards the window and stopped behind a few cars that were still ahead of them. Oliver looked over at Emily and was surprised to see her staring back at him. Her mouth was dropped open and her eyebrows were pulled together.

"What?" he asked.

"Did you really just make fun of me for not liking onions, then order yours with no pickles?" Emily asked accusingly. She thought it was funny.

"Hey, pickles don't belong on burgers, or even sandwiches," he answered seriously, emphasizing his point by pointing his finger at her and cocking his eyebrow.

Emily snorted a laugh then exhaled. "Ahh, you're cute," she admitted, then immediately looked away. She had wanted to say "that's cute," but it came out wrong. She kept her head turned away from Oliver, regretting what she had just said, and bit her bottom lip. She couldn't believe she just said that out loud and grew warm with embarrassment as she kept her head facing out towards her window.

Oliver sat still for a few seconds, smiling sheepishly. He looked down at his hands and was blushing because of Emily's comment. He wasn't used to being told he was cute, except maybe sarcastically. He thought it was kind of sweet. He looked up at Emily and found her still looking out of her window, refusing to look at him. Oliver felt bad and didn't want her to feel embarrassed.

"So, where did you learn to skate like that?" Oliver asked, remembering how impressed he was when he saw her skating earlier that day. He hoped that she would continue talking to him. He was surprised that, up until then, their conversation seemed to flow so easily and he was having fun with her.

Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back towards Oliver. "I have two older brothers, and I was basically their shadow growing up. I copied everything they did," she explained, then looked up at Oliver and smiled shyly. "I've been on skates since I was about four years old."

Oliver nodded, impressed again.

"Look, I'm sorry about … about what I said before," she cut in quickly. He looked over and saw Emily looking at him timidly. He knew that she was referring to calling him cute.

Oliver shook his head and smiled. "Hey, I'm not complaining. It's not everyday someone calls me cute," he told her playfully. That seemed to make Emily feel more at ease. She smiled back at him and nodded, appreciating how he seemed okay with her comment.

Oliver drove forward and collect their food a minute later and he began driving again, heading towards Emily's apartment. Emily still felt a little awkward but they continued to chat as Oliver drove.

"So are you off now or do you have a few more shifts left?" Emily asked, trying to make conversation.

"I am off for the next four days," he answered with exaggerated relief, making Emily smile.

"Nice. Any big plans?" she asked innocently, but realized it sounded like she was prying. Emily scolded herself for being so nervous around him again.

"Making dinner for my daughters tomorrow night, then probably cleaning and relaxing for the next few days," Oliver answered.

"Oh, you have children?" Emily asked, genuinely interested.

"Yeah, three daughters," Oliver answered fondly. Without too many details, he went on to explain how he and Zoe had just recently decided to get divorced and how they were still on pretty good terms, which he really appreciated.

"I'm happy that you're still able to be civil with each other," Emily offered, honestly. "With my job, I see a lot of divorced couples, and it's really hard on the children when their parents can't get along."

Oliver smiled, appreciating Emily's comment. "Thanks," he said and looked over to find her smiling back at him. When he looked back out in front of him, Oliver realized that they were on Emily's street. He didn't understand why but he felt a bit disappointed when he realized that he was about to drop her off. He really enjoyed seeing her again and liked talking to her about things other than Sarah's case. He pulled up to her apartment and parked next to the sidewalk.

"Thank you for the ride, Oliver," Emily said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Oliver grinned at hearing her say his name and watched her gather her bags together. "And for the onion-less burger," she added with a sly smile.

"It was my pleasure," Oliver laughed. He liked her sense of humour and how she joked around with him. They continued to look at each other for a few seconds, smiles slowly relaxing, when Oliver's cell phone rang. He jerked his hands away from the steering wheel and fumbled for his phone in his pants pocket. When he got it free he looked down and saw that it was Zoe calling. "I, um, I should take this," he said to Emily, who nodded and opened her door, quickly stepping out of the truck to give Oliver some privacy. Before she closed her door, she mouthed "thank you" again and walked away towards her buildings entrance.

Oliver watched her walk away and realized he was smiling. He quickly shook his head and answered his phone. "Zoe?" he asked.

Emily made her way upstairs, thinking about how unexpected it was to get a ride home from Oliver and how much she actually enjoyed their time together. She thought of how nice he was and how much he made her laugh. She felt embarrassed when she remembered how she said he was cute and felt grateful that he didn't seem annoyed with her for saying it.

"You've gotta get out more," she said out loud to herself, realizing how much she was liking a man that she had really only just met. She got to her apartment and started to put away the items she picked front the store. When she finished, she noticed that she was missing the small gag of apples that she bought. She looked around, thinking about whether or not she did actually buy apples, then remembered packing them in her bag. Emily through back her head when she realized that she may have dropped them in Oliver's truck. She jammed her feet into her shoes and slammed the door behind her as she ran out of her apartment and down the hallway.

As she reached the door leading outside, she saw that Oliver was closing his truck door and started walking towards her. They both smiled when they saw each other.

"Think you may have dropped these," he said, holding up the bag of apples. Emily continued walking towards Oliver and exhaled, trying to catch her breath, taking the apples from him.

"Thanks," she said, shaking her head and slightly rolling her eyes. She didn't really know what else to say.

"It's okay," Oliver answered, with a chuckle. He had just finished talking to Zoe about when he could pick up the girls and looked down to see the small bag of apples. He figured he'd bring them up to her since he hadn't driven away yet.

Emily stared at Oliver with a small smile and didn't quite want to leave yet. She took in a breath, thinking of asking if he wanted to come upstairs and eat their burgers together, but she didn't. _Way to forward_, she said, talking herself out of it. Instead, she let out her breath and bit her bottom lip.

"Thanks again," she said, and took a step back.

"Yeah, um," Oliver said and put his hands in his pockets. "You're welcome," he continued, and took a step back as well. "See you around," he added, also unsure of what to do.

"Bye," Emily said, then turned around and walked back into her building, while Oliver walked back to his truck, taking one last glance back as Emily disappeared into her building.

* * *

**Let me know what you think. I love hearing your opinions!**


	5. Chapter 5

I know that this is a very short and uneventful chapter compared to the others, but I realized that lately I haven't been able to write as often as I would like to, and thought that I'd better finish a chapter and update soon before I lose momentum. I'm hoping to be able to get another chapter done in the next few days.

Thank you for all your kind reviews and for following this story.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters. I only own Emily, and I guess Linda :-)

* * *

"Oh, that's great news!" Linda said with relief. Emily had just told her that the police had found Sarah and that she would be going home soon.

"Yeah, I was relieved to hear that it's all over with," Emily added, before taking a bite of her sandwich. They were eating lunch in the staff room and looking forward for the end of the day so they could start their weekend.

"So, do you think you'll ever see this Oliver again?" Linda asked, coyly. She had noticed the way that Emily smiled whenever she mentioned him and thought she deserved someone that made her light up like that. Her voice had even gone up a few octaves when she mentioned how he had driven her home after telling her about Sarah.

"What? Why?" Emily asked, blushing as she reached for her water. She didn't think that she would ever see Oliver again, unless it was completely random, like it had been at the market. And she didn't know why Linda would be asking her that.

"I don't know, it just seems like you like the guy," she answered honestly.

Emily almost choked on her water and wiped her napkin across her mouth. "I don't know. I ... I don't see why I would ever see him again, unless it was by chance."

"That's too bad," Linda said, with a raised eyebrow. Emily refused to say anything else, in hopes that Linda would drop the subject. It seemed to work, because Oliver's name wasn't mentioned again.

They continued to eat and discussed what they had planned for the weekend. Despite talking about her upcoming basketball game that weekend, Linda noticed that Emily seemed a little distracted.

"You okay?" she asked.

Emily looked up, snapping out of her real thoughts. She was thinking about Sarah and how she hoped that she would be careful in the future, and not be so trustful of strangers. "Yeah, I just wish that I could tell Sarah to, in a way, smarten up," she answered, knowing that what she just said really didn't come out right.

"Well," Linda started, thinking for a second. "Is there any way that you could talk to her? Like send her a message somehow?"

"What, like a letter?" Emily asked skeptically.

Linda's eyes grew wide. "Yeah. Write her a letter!" she said, enthusiastically.

"She's not going to read a letter from a complete stranger," Emily insisted, shaking her head.

"Who knows, it's worth a try. And even if she doesn't read it, you'll be able to get your thoughts off of your chest," she encouraged. "Couldn't hurt," she added a with a shrug.

Emily considered it for a minute and thought that Linda had a point. "Maybe," she said in such a way that let Linda know that she was ending the conversation.

* * *

"Now, why am I not surprised to see you two here?" Noelle asked, as she approached Oliver and Sam sitting at the bar at the Penny that Saturday night.

Oliver turned, with his glass still up to his mouth, and saw her smiling at them. "Hey! What are you doing here?" he asked, standing up to give her a hug. He hadn't seen much of her since she had gone off on maternity leave and he was beginning to miss her.

Noelle hugged him back and pulled away, giving Sam a big smile as a hello. "Traci invited me out for a girls' night out. Frank's staying in to give me a break," she answered.

"Ahh, girls' night. Andy's been going on about that for days," Sam offered, taking a sip of beer.

Oliver looked over at Sam with a furrowed brow, finding it odd to hear him utter the words "girls' night."

"I should get back to them, but I'll come visit with you guys in a bit, okay?" she asked, noticing Traci waving her over.

"We'll be here," Oliver promised and raised his glass to Traci, Andy and Gail, who were enthusiastically doing the same from several tables over.

After a few more drinks and teasing each other about random things, Noelle came over to join Oliver and Sam as she had promised she would. "So what have I missed?" she asked, with a slight slur.

Oliver and Sam both looked at each other and tried to cover up their amusement at seeing Noelle drunk.

"Umm, not much really. Besides kicking ass and taking names, it's been pretty uneventful around here," Oliver said jokingly.

Noelle smiled and put her arm around Oliver's shoulders. "I miss you guys," she said, then removed her arm. "Sorry to hear about you and Zoe," she added, while taking a seat on one of the bar stools beside Oliver. She had heard about their divorce from Frank and was surprised that they weren't able to work things out. She had always admired their relationship. "How are you?" she went on.

Oliver shrugged and pursed his lips. "I'm okay. We're still trying to be civil for the girls, but it's done. She told me that she's already been seeing a new guy," he said, then took a big mouthful of his drink. It hurt enough to know that his marriage was over, but it hurt that much more knowing that Zoe had already moved on.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ollie," Noelle said sadly, leaning into Oliver.

Sam noticed the pained expression on Oliver's face and felt the need to lighten the mood. He knew how much Oliver had been hurting, even though he tried to hide it. "That's okay," he said loudly, clapping Oliver on the back then grabbing onto his shoulder. "Oliver's already found himself a nice new girl."

"What?" Oliver asked quickly, pulling away from Sam.

"That girl ... um ... Emily," he clarified, remembering how cozy the two of them looked when they sat together at Oliver's desk.

"You're seeing someone?" Noelle asked with wide eyes, feeling happy for Oliver.

Oliver turned to her quickly and shook his head. "No, I'm not," he answered, then looked back to Sam. "What are you talking about?" he asked, feeling a little embarrassed and confused. He hadn't mentioned anything to Sam about how he had driven Emily home a few days earlier, and realized that he was starting to like her.

"You two seemed to be hitting it off when she came in last week," Sam answered, tilting his bottle towards Oliver. "You gonna see her again?" he couldn't help but ask when he saw Oliver starting to blush a little.

"You're crazy, Sammy," he answered quickly, then turned back to Noelle, feeling the need to explain Sam's comment. "A woman witnessed a crime and came in to identify a suspect, and then I saw her a few times the next day ..."

"What? You saw her again?" Sam cut in. He hadn't heard about that yet.

Oliver sighed and looked down, regretting that he mentioned it. "I saw her at a skating rink then later on that day at a grocery store. And I offered to drive her home when I saw that she was walking," he explained.

Sam almost spit out his drink. "You drove her home?" he asked, surprised by Oliver's boldness. He was proud of him for stepping up like that since he didn't think that Oliver would ever move on after Zoe. Sam then felt the need to tease Oliver. "You saw her twice in one day? Oliver, I think you may have yourself a stalker," Sam joked, with a raised eyebrow and a cocky smile.

Noelle laughed at Sam's comment, but stopped when she saw how annoyed Oliver looked. "So, what? Do you like her?" she asked honestly.

Oliver shook his head and answered almost too quickly. "No. I don't even know her." After he said it, Oliver felt a warmth run through his body. He felt bad for lying to his friends. The truth was, he had been thinking about Emily off and on ever since he had dropped her off at her apartment and realized that, even though he didn't know her all that well, he did like her. He liked how genuine she seemed and how she could joke around with him so easily. And that she got embarrassed when she said that he was cute. Oliver was impressed by her job and that she liked working with kids. He wanted to see her again and get to know her better, but he had, just the other day, admitted to himself that he was scared. He hadn't dated in well over 15 years and didn't know how to get himself back out there. He was nervous.

* * *

**Please, let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

I honestly think that this is my least favourite chapter so far. I'm just not sure if I was able to portray what I really had in mind. Hopefully the next ones are better. With that fair warning, I hope you enjoy it anyways.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

Emily got out of Heather's car and closed the door, looking over at the two police cruisers parked in the coffee shop lot a few spaces away. Her heartrate quickened when a fleeting thought passed through her mind. She wondered whether it might be Oliver who had driven one of those cars, but she told herself that there were more police officers in the city besides him. Emily smiled as she thought of how ridiculous she was being and took a closer look at the vehicles before walking into the coffe shop with Heather. She saw officers sitting behind the wheel of both vehicles, concluding that they must be about to leave soon.

Once inside, they took their place in line and Emily looked around, noticing how busy it was that Sunday morning. There were quite a few people ahead of them in line but she was in no hurry. She had nothing in particular planned for the day besides having coffee and doing some needless shopping with Heather, which she was looking forward to.

"Was there anywhere that you absolutely needed to go?" Heather asked, trying to plan where to start shopping first.

Emily pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nope. Nowhere in particular," she answered, then took a step forward when she noticed the line moving. She looked up towards the front of the line and saw two tall figures, both in dark clothing, visible in between the gaps of the people in line. She squinted her eyes and leaned slightly to her left, trying to get a better look at what she was sure she imagined she saw. The people in front of her swayed back and forth, blocking her view but suddenly, a path seemed to appear and she smiled widely.

Oliver and Sam waited in line for coffee with a few people ahead of them. They had been riding separately, Sam with Andy and Oliver with Dov, but decided to grab a coffee at the same time. They waited in silence for their turn, both needing a pick me up. Oliver had been looking straight ahead, deciding if he wanted anything to eat, when he felt Sam's elbow nudge him in the arm. He looked over and saw Sam, grinning devilishly and looking towards the back if the line. Sam then turned his gaze to Oliver with a crooked eyebrow and jerked his head to the side, suggesting that Oliver take a look. Oliver turned to see what Sam was referring to but didn't see anything that would have warranted Sam's odd expression. He turned his attention back to Sam, raising his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders. Sam continued grinning and repeated his head jerk. Oliver looked back and, once again, didn't know what Sam wanted him to look at. Then, someone in line moved aside and he finally understood. Standing at the back of the line was Emily.

Emily felt herself blush when she saw Oliver turn around and look at her. _Why do i keep running into him_? she asked herself. She was smiling at him and tucked her hair behind her ear before turning her attention to Heather. She felt herself getting nervous even though she was glad to see Oliver again. Despite not knowing him all that well, she liked him. Part of her thought that maybe he might like her as well, but she didn't want to get her hopes up since she was clueless when it came to knowing whether or not someone was interestd in her. Emily took a deep breath to calm herself and willed herself to just relax. She looked up a few seconds later and found Oliver staring back at her with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were lit up and she almost laughed at the "Hey, I know you," expression on his face.

"Who's that?" she heard from beside her. Heather had noticed the silly look on Emily's face and saw her staring at a police officer at the front of the line.

"What? Oh, um that's Oliver ... Officer Shaw," she corrected herself quickly, not wanting to let Heather know why she was on a first name basis with him. Linda was the only one that suspected that Emily liked Oliver, and she didn't really feel like telling more people.

After looking back at Emily for some time, Oliver turned around and glanced at Sam, who was giving him a knowing smile. He ignored him and looked towards the counter when it was their turn to order. They moved ahead, ordering and paying for their coffees, along with one each from Andy and Dov, then started for the exit of the coffee shop.

"Hello," Oliver said to Emily, slowing down as they were walking by.

"Good, how are you?" Emily asked, then quickly looked down, feeling stupid for what she had just said. She hated that she got so nervous when she liked a man. She looked back up at Oliver and saw him smiling. "Hi," she tried again.

"Well, I should go," Sam said quickly, and slapped Oliver on the back. He made his way to the door, wanting to give Oliver an opportunity to talk to Emily.

Oliver looked over his shoulder and saw Sam heading for the door. _What's he trying to do?_ he thought to himself and took a step towards the door as well. "I should get going, too. Was nice seeing you again," Oliver said, then nodded towards Heather, who looked confused. He made his way to the exit and turned around before leaving, seeing Emily looking back at him with a small smirk. He wanted to stay and talk more, but he wasn't sure of what to say. He felt an uneasy feeling come over him, realizing it was regret, as he headed towards Dov.

"You know them?" Heather asked, while looking outside.

Emily quickly began to explain to Heather how she had come to know Oliver and Sam, then a slow, sheepish grin appeared on her face.

"I think I like him," Emily added, finally saying it out loud. Heather smiled, feeling happy for Emily. It had been a long time since Emily had been interested in anyone and the smile on her face made her statement pretty obvious.

* * *

_Dear Sarah,_

_You don't know me, but my name is Emily. I'm the one who saw you that ..._

Emily sighed and tore off the piece of paper, crumpling it up into a ball. It was the fifth time she had started the letter and she was starting to second guess her choice in writing it. _She's never going to read it and even if she does, it'll just upset her even more_, she told herself.

Emily stood up from her kitchen table and closed the notebook she had been writing in, giving up on the idea of writing Sarah a note. She walked into her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, deciding to watch a bit of tv that Monday evening before getting ready for bed. She got comfortable on her couch and flipped through the guide, deciding on the news since nothing good seemed to be on. Emily sat and watched the images change on the tv screen, not really paying attention to the actual stories. She figured that that was a pretty good sign to turn the tv off and try the letter one more time.

She got up and went back over to her kitchen table with a sigh. This time, Emily was successful in getting her thoughts down.

* * *

"I don't know what you're waiting for, man," Sam said, while walking out of the restaurant and holding the door open for Oliver. They had just stopped off to get something for lunch that Tuesday afternoon, and Sam was bugging Oliver about Emily.

Oliver grumbled as he walked to the passenger side of the cruiser, wanting Sam to drop the subject. If he was going to do anything, he was going to do his at his own pace. "Just leave it, Sam," he warned him. Oliver opened his door and got inside.

Sam smiled and got into the drivers side of the vehicle, knowing full well that he wasn't going to stop. "I just think you owe it to yourself to ask her out. I mean," Sam stopped as he looked over his shoulder before merging into traffic. "You obviously like her ..."

"What?" Oliver cut him off loudly, playing dumb. Sam looked over at Oliver and almost laughed when he saw him looking both shocked and embarrassed.

"Oh come on, anytime you see her or anyone mentions her you start to go all ... reddish," Sam said, with a wave of his hand while trying to describe what he meant. He looked over at Oliver and saw it. "There! Right there!" Sam exclaimed while pointing at Oliver. He turned back to Oliver and saw him start to look flush, and knew that he was right in his accusation.

Oliver turned away from Sam for a few moments and didn't say anything. He knew that Sam was right. Since he had driven her home, whenever Oliver thought about Emily or her name happened to be mentioned, he felt happy and could feel his face grow warm. When he saw her at the coffee shop a few days earlier, he couldn't stop himself from smiling and still regretted leaving so quickly. He did want to see her again, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. He didn't think it would be appropriate of him to just call her, since she hadn't technically given him her number for personal reasons. Besides that, he was still nervous about the whole dating scene, despite giving Sam so much advice over the years. Oliver kept looking out of the window and shook his head. "I don't know, Sam. I just don't know if I'm ready yet, you know?" he answered honestly.

"Think of it as ripping off a band aide. Just hurry up and get it over with," Sam offered, then grimaced when he realized how stupid his advice sounded. "Just ask her out," he tried again, this time, getting straight to the point.

* * *

That Tuesday, after she finished work, Emily made her way down to the the police station to drop off the letter she had written to Sarah. She felt a little naive since she wasn't even sure that it would get delivered to Sarah, but she figured it was worth a shot. As she got closer to the station, Emily wondered if perhaps she would see Oliver again, which caused a bit of a flutter in her stomach. She realized that she would most likely either have to ask for him or for Sam, since they were the ones that had handled the file on Sarah. She started to feel a bit nervous. Part of her was hoping to run into him there, but she worried that if she did see Oliver, he might think that she was coming by just to see him again.

She shook off her thoughts of Oliver and made her way onwards. As she opened the door to the station, and looked around, she saw that there wasn't a line up this time, allowing her to approach the desk right away. An Officer Cote smiled at Emily through the glass when she arrived in front of her.

"Can I help you?" Officer Cote asked cheerfully.

"Yes, hi. Is ... um ... is Officer Shaw or Swarek in?" Emily asked, deciding to ask for either of them.

Emily watched as Officer Cote typed something into a computer to her right. "No, I'm afraid they are out at the moment. Is there anything that I can help you with?" she asked politely.

Emily, feeling a slight sense of disappointment, reached into her purse. "I hope so," she started with a smile. "I was wondering if you could give this to either of them to pass along," she said, unsure if she should explain what it was that she was handing over. Emily pushed it under the glass and watched Officer Cote look curiously at the envelope marked "Sarah King."

After a few seconds of alternating her stare between the envelope and Emily, Officer Cote leaned forward a bit. "And who do I say this is from?" she asked, searching for a sticky note.

"Emily Weaver."

At the mention of her name, Emily saw a woman standing farther behind Officer Cote turn her head quickly in her direction. She was holding a baby against her chest and bouncing up and down a little, soothing the little one in her arms. The woman looked at her curiously with a very small smile on her lips, to which Emily smiled back at.

Noelle stood in the office trying to get a good look at Emily. She had come to have lunch with Frank and was taking a second to visit with her coworkers while she had the chance. The sun was streaming in through the windows, causing a bit of a glare on the glass, but she was able to see Emily smiling back at her. She had heard her ask for Oliver or Sam when she came in and when she offered her name, Noelle wondered if it could be the Emily that Sam was teasing Oliver about a few days earlier. She looked Emily over and saw that she was very pretty, in a classic way, and understood why Oliver was blushing when Sam had teased him.

"Okay, I will get this to either of them as soon as I can," Officer Cote promised.

"Thank you very much," Emily said with a gracious smile, then looked up and smiled at Noelle, who was still watching her. She made her way towards the exit of the station and hoped that her message would somehow get to Sarah.

* * *

Sam had just pulled into the station and was making his way to park beside the other cruisers. Oliver was just about to take a bite out of his sandwich when Sam stopped the car, resulting in a cheek full of mustard and mayo.

"Couldn't of warned me, huh?" Oliver asked, more playful than annoyed.

Sam laughed and got out of the car, stretching his back before making his way around the back of the car.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" he heard Oliver cry out, and made his way to the passenger side door. Oliver was sitting in his seat, bent over with one leg out of the car, picking up pieces of lettuce and tomatoes from his sandwich.

"Not a word, Sammy," he said, without looking up, knowing that Sam was hovering over him, snickering.

When Emily left the station, she had began walking down the sidewalk, approaching a fenced in area where the main gate was left open. She took no notice of it until she got closer and saw multiple police cars parked in a row. She continued on her way, taking a slight peek inside and spotted Sam resting his arm on a car door and smiling at someone who was moving around in the front seat. She slowed her pace, wondering if perhaps it might be Oliver who was in the car. Emily smiled right away when she saw Oliver pop up in front of Sam. _It's him, it's him_, she squealed to herself, then tried to relax when she realized how foolish she was being.

Sam laughed when Oliver stood up and he spotted a big glob of mustard smeared on the side of his mouth. He was then distracted by movement at the lots gate and recognized Emily slowly walking by, looking in their direction. He smiled widely and looked back to Oliver.

"Uh oh," Sam said loudly. "Better wipe that mustard off of your face because there's your stalker," he joked, as he jerked his head in Emily's direction.

Oliver spun around and spotted Emily walking by, almost past the gates opening. "Oh, shit," he said quickly, then turned back towards Sam and wiped at his mouth. "Shut up," he added, annoyed that Sam called her his stalker, and turned back to look at Emily. But she was gone.

Unfortunately, as Emily was walking by, she had only heard a small, mumbled portion of Sam and Oliver's conversation. After Oliver stood up from the car, she overheard Sam say "Uh, oh ... there's your stalker." She felt embarrassed at hearing that, since she really wasn't there trying to see Oliver. Then, the wind almost seemed to get knocked out of her when she watched Oliver spin around and say "Shit," when he saw her. Her first instinct was to run when she heard this and she quickly past the opening of the gate and made her way down the sidewalk, turning down the first available street in order to get away from the view of the station.

Emily slowed her pace and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She felt angry, and embarrassed. She was in no way a stalker. Yes, she had run into Oliver a few times since they had met, but they all seemed to be at random. She had never gone out of her way to see him, not even this time. This time she was simply dropping off her letter for Sarah and happened to see him. Suddenly, Emily began to feel stupid when she realized that she had basically convinced herself that Oliver had liked her in some way too. _He didn't like you_, _he was just being polite_, she thought. She was humiliated and hurt, knowing what Sam and Oliver had thought of her and knew she had to stay away from them from then on.

* * *

**I apologize for any over looked spelling or grammatical errors.**

**Please let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

Long overdue chapter and kind of slow, but here it is. I'm already working on the next and hopefully the story isn't progressing too slowly. I'm toying with the idea of speeding things up and cutting a bunch out, but I'm not quite sure. What do you think?

* * *

Oliver came walking back towards Sam from the entrance to the stations parking lot, slightly out of breath. Sam noticed the look of disappointment and confusion when he returned to their car.

"You find her?" Sam asked.

Oliver shook his head, and wiped at his forehead. "No. I don't know where she went," he answered, wondering how she could have disappeared so quickly. After he had wiped the mustard off of his face and turned around to see her again, Emily was gone. He hesitated for a second then ran after her, not quite sure why exactly, but couldn't find her anywhere on the street.

"Come on, let's get inside," Sam suggested, starting his way towards the entrance. Oliver grabbed his duty bag from the trunk and followed after Sam. He was still thinking about where Emily could have gone so quickly and, more importantly, why she had taken off in such a hurry.

They got inside and headed towards the change rooms.

"Hey. Oliver," Oliver heard from behind him. He recognized Noelle's voice and smiled when he turned around and saw her approaching them. She looked like she wanted something.

"Noelle," he greeted her slowly as he adjusted his bag higher on his shoulder.

She caught up to Oliver and Sam and crossed her arms. "Emily Weaver," she started, then noticed Oliver blink quickly. "Is that the Emily you guys were talking about at the Penny?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, why?" Oliver answered with a slight stutter. He had no idea how Noelle knew her name or why she was asking about her.

"She came in a little earlier and dropped off a letter for you. Cote has it at the front desk," she answered.

"Oh, okay," he said, then watched as Noelle started to smile at him then at Sam. Oliver looked at her curiously and furrowed his brow. "What?" he finally asked, feeling like he was left out of some inside joke.

Noelle looked at Sam, who was smiling too, then back over at Oliver. "She seems really sweet, Oliver. You should ask her out," she answered with a bright smile, then slowly turned and walked away.

Oliver stood still for a few seconds, watching Noelle walk away, wondering why she seemed to be on his case now too about asking Emily out. He heard Sam trying not to laugh from behind him and turned around. "Alright, I'll ask her out," he conceded in a huff as he walked by Sam, bumping into him on his way to the change rooms.

* * *

Emily walked around the schools playground on supervision that Wednesday, making sure that the kids were playing safely and making herself available if anyone of them needed her help. She watched the kids running around, burning off their sugary snacks from their lunches and appreciated that it was a nice day out. Although walking around with a schoolyard full of screaming, giddy children, Emily found herself getting distracted every so often and would feel a punch to her stomach when she thought about Oliver's reaction to Sam's comment about her being a stalker. She really didn't understand how he could think that she was following him around. Sure, she had run into him a few times, but she had never gone out of her way to see him, it had all been coincidental. Perhaps what made her feel worse was that she had gotten the impression that he had liked her. When he had driven her home and even saw him at the coffee shop, Emily noticed the way that he would smile at her and how he looked happy to see her. She couldn't believe she had read him so wrong and she felt stupid for allowing herself to think that something may have happened between them.

The recess bell rang, snapping Emily out of her thoughts and she ushered the children back inside the school.

* * *

Chris knocked on Sarah King's door and stepped back to stand next to Oliver. Neither of them had read the letter that Emily wrote to Sarah, but Oliver had a pretty good feeling that it wouldn't be anything negative, so he decided to go ahead and deliver the note to her. Just to be on the safe side, so they wouldn't get upset, he figured that it would be a good idea to let Sarah's parents read the letter first and let them decide if Sarah should read it. Footsteps could be heard approaching the door and a blurry figure appeared behind the decorative glass of the front door. When it swung up, Oliver saw a man, a few years older than himself, looking puzzled at finding them standing at his doorstep. Oliver realized how much he had gone through in the last week and seeing the police at his doorstep was bound to make him worry as well as bring up painful memories. His brown eyes squinted and he opened the door wider.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Hello, Mr. king?" Oliver asked. Sarah's father nodded. "I'm Officer Shaw, this is Officer Diaz," he stopped, noticing the concerned look on Sarah's fathers' face. He felt the need to reassure him. "Sir, there's nothing to worry about," he said with a small smirk. Oliver went on to explain to him why they were there and asked if they could come in and speak to Sarah.

Sarah's father nodded again and stepped back from the door, allowing Oliver and Chris to enter. Chris smiled his appreciation and entered the house. After closing the door, they were led into the kitchen, where Sarah and her mother were at the dinner table, picking away at their food.

Sarah's father, Peter, introduced Oliver and Chris to Sarah and his wife, Julie. With the pleasantries over with, Oliver began explaining why they were there.

"Sarah, that night when you met up with those boys, someone in the apartment building you were standing outside of happened to see you. Luckily she noticed that you seemed worried so she called the police and we were eventually able to get an I.D. on one of the guys," Oliver said, noting the look of embarrassment and regret on Sarah's face. He continued. "Her name is Emily, and she wrote you a letter. Now," he paused, taking the note from his vest pocket. He cautiously went on. "I haven't read the note yet so I figured we'd let your mom or dad read it first, so they can decide if you should read it."

Julie stood up slowly just then and looked over at her husband, feeling a little worried about what might be in the letter. Sarah had gone through enough recently and she didn't want her daughter to become any more upset than she already was. Julie looked over to Oliver and smiled, extending her hand out to him for the letter. He handed it over, while still watching Sarah. She kept her head pointed down and her shoulders slumped and looked like she was expecting to get into trouble, making Oliver realize that she was obviously still upset about what happened.

Julie sat down and opened the envelope, taking a deep, nervous breath before reading the letter. Oliver watched as both Sarah and Peter watched Julie's reaction to what Emily had written. Her lips twitched into small smiles every so often and she brought her hand up to her mouth when she got towards the end. She lowered the piece of paper in her hand and looked at Sarah, giving her a small nod and holding out the letter to her. Sarah took it from her mother and adjusted her position on her chair, feeling a little nervous about what she might read. As she began reading, her father distracted her, asking Julie a question.

"What did it say?" Peter whispered.

Oliver was surprised when he heard Sarah start to read the letter out loud to her father, instead of waiting for her mom to answer.

_"Dear Sarah,_

_I know that reading a letter from a complete stranger isn't something that you really want to be doing right now, but please, hear me out._

_My name is Emily Weaver, which I know, means nothing to you, but I just wanted the opportunity to let you know how happy I am that you made it home safely to your parents after being gone for a few days. I can't imagine what you and your family went through, but I'm relieved to know that you are finally back together._

_You're probably wondering how I know anything about what happened to you. Well, I happened to see you the night that you met up with those guys from the Internet. I was randomly passing by my window and heard you all outside and, at the time, I thought that I was over reacting in calling the police, but I'm so glad at I did. There was something about the way you carried yourself that told me you were scared and didn't want to be with them.  
_

_Sarah, I wanted to give you a piece of advice that I truly learned that night and will always remember. Trust your gut. If something doesn't feel right, trust that you're hesitating for a reason, and do something about it. I wasn't sure if I should call the police when I saw you with those men, but I felt deep down that something wasn't quite right and it turns out that it wasn't._

_Now, please don't take this as me telling you not to have any fun because that is the last thing I want for you. Growing up is about trying new things and learning about yourself. You're going to make a lot of mistakes in your life, trust me, and that is completely normal and expected. That's how you find out who you are. Just be sure that you learn from those mistakes so you won't end up repeating them. That's the important thing._

_I hope you are doing well and that you are surrounding yourself with family and friends. Hold them close because they will get you through anything!_

_Take care Sarah, and trust yourself!_

_Emily"_

Sarah lowered the letter and gave a small smirk to her mom, then looked back at the letter. Although her parents and family had told her that everything was going to be okay, and that she should be careful about trusting people from now on, Sarah had felt like she really disappointed her family. However, although it was from a complete stranger, Sarah appreciated hearing that it was okay and normal to make mistakes.

Oliver noticed how quiet Sarah was and how she seemed to let out a long deep breath after reading the letter. Both of her parents were smiling and Julie reached over and grabbed Peter's hand.

Oliver was touched by Emily's letter and the fact that she had bothered to write it at all. While Sarah read it out loud, he was thinking of his own girls, especially Izzy who was around Sarah's age. He felt a tightness in his chest when he remembered how terrified and angry he had been when she had gotten herself into some trouble a few months earlier with an older boyfriend. He looked at Sarah who wore the same expression that Izzy had worn after the whole ordeal. It was a mixture of sadness and guilt for letting her parents down. Oliver tried to shake off the memory. He was starting to feel himself growing warm with anger as he pictured Izzy's old boyfriend.

Sarah looked over to Oliver and Chris and smiled. "Thank you," she said, lifting up the letter. "Can you tell her thank you for me?" she asked, almost nervously.

Oliver nodded. "Of course," he answered, placing a hand on her shoulder and looked at Peter and Julie. He removed his hand and started to turn towards the hallway leading to the front door. "We'll let you all get back to your dinner. Have a nice evening," he added, then looked at Chris. "Come on," he said quietly, then stepped into the hallway.

Peter stood up quickly and got in line behind them. "I'll see you out," he offered, and followed them toward the front door. When they got to the door, Oliver turned around to find Peter extending his hand to him. Oliver took it and felt Peter's firm handshake. "Thank you," he said sincerely, appreciating that their visit made Sarah feel better. Understanding what Peter was feeling, Oliver didn't answer, but instead nodded with a big smile and brought his left hand up to grasp onto the other side of Peter's hand, gripping tightly.

As Oliver slid behind the wheel of the cruiser, he thought about calling Emily to pass on Sarah's thank you and felt glad that he would have an excuse to talk to her again. He decided to wait until he got back to the station to give her a call and felt both nervous and happy at the same time.

* * *

When Emily returned home from work, she unloaded her purse and book bag at the door and made her way into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She walked over to her phone on the living room table and picked it up, checking for messages. The beeping sound after turning it on told her that she had at least one new message. She entered her password and waited to hear the message. Her chest exploded with chills when she recognized the voice on the first message.

"Hi Emily, it's Oliver ... Officer Shaw calling," he corrected quickly. Emily noticed how he was speaking quite fast and sounded a little nervous. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling a punch to her stomach. She had been trying to forget about him and what she had overheard him and Sam say. "I just delivered your letter to Sarah this afternoon and she wanted me to say thank you for it," he paused for a few seconds and his voice turned more sincere. "I uh ... I really think she appreciated it." Emily smiled, noting the softness in his voice. "Um, anyways, I just wanted to pass along her message and," he seemed to be stuttering. "I wanted to let you know that if there was anything else that you needed or wanted to say or ... if you just felt like calling, my number is, it's ... it's on the card that I gave you. My cell number is on there as well." Emily smiled. "Um, bye. Oh, it was nice seeing you yesterday, briefly. I didn't get a chance to say hello cause you walked away so quickly, but it was nice to see you. Okay, bye," he ended with an embarrassed laugh and hung up. She could tell he had been smiling before hanging up.

Emily stood in her kitchen, leaning up against the counter with her arms crossed against her chest. She had listened to Oliver's message one more time and was more confused than before. _Why would he tell me to give him a call? What did he mean by 'if you just felt like calling?' Does he want me to call him? No, he didn't actually give me his number, he just said it was on his card. But why would he say that if he thinks I'm stalking him? And why would he mention anything about seeing me yesterday? And why did he say that it was nice to see me again?_ Her thoughts became louder and more frantic, causing her to exhale loudly and push herself away from the counter, bringing her hands up to her head. She felt like a teenager again, over thinking everything and reading too much into a simple phone message.

Emily hated that she was confused and conflicted about still liking Oliver. She had promised herself that she would stay away from him, but now she wasn't so sure.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm not exactly sure of what Oliver's daughters names are, besides Izzy so I just made up a few names. I do apologize and please let me know if you do know them.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

"So?" Sam asked vaguely, before biting into a slice of pizza. Oliver had come over with pizza and beer, and they were enjoying their first day off by watching a recorded football game together.

"Wha'?" Oliver asked, with a mouthful of pizza.

"Did you ask her?" Sam elaborated, knowing that Oliver would know what he was talking about. He had been bugging him about asking Emily out for the last few days and each time he did, Oliver would mumble an answer, usually saying that he would do it soon.

"Yeah. Yeah, I called and left her a message. Told her to give me a call if she wanted," he answered through a mouthful of pizza.

Sam leaned back and grimaced. "You told her to call you if she wanted to?" he repeated, almost in disgust, unable to believe that Oliver had actually said that. "That's not asking her out," he said, knowing full well that Oliver knew this already. "Ollie, you gotta ask her out properly. You like her don't you?" he went on.

Oliver kept his eyes on the tv. "Yeah," he answered, taking a sip of his beer. He had been thinking a lot about Emily since he had called her. Despite not knowing her all that well, she seemed to have sparked something in him and he wanted to find out more about her. He wasn't sure if she would end up calling him after her disappearing act a few days earlier, but he hoped that she would. Oliver was still struggling with the idea of calling her up to ask her out and he knew that leaving her that message was just taking the easy way out.

"Then do it," Sam said, now taking his turn to give Oliver some relationship advice.

* * *

Emily's work week finally ended, along with her volleyball season. That Friday evening, her team had lost their final game and decided to end the season by going out for dinner and maybe a few drinks. She was looking forward to a night out and was determined to enjoy herself. She had just over an hour to get herself showered and ready to go before a few of her teammates picked her up, so she got to work as soon as she got home. Emily chose to wear her favourite pair of comfortable dark wash jeans, deciding that they would be appropriate for most restaurants. She put on some make up, putting in a little more effort on her eyes than usual and quickly curled a few strands of her auburn hair, which looked great resting on her dark teal, empire waist top. She liked how the satin material shone and made her feel slightly dressed up, even know she really wasn't. She felt a surge of self confidence run through her when she looked at herself in the mirror. _I look pretty_, she thought with a smile.

A chiming sound caught Emily's attention, letting her know that she had just received a text message. "_We're here_!" it read and she quickly made her way to her door, only then realizing that she didn't put on any accessories. Not wanting to keep her friends waiting, she decided not to bother with a necklace or earrings, then pulled on her black ballet flats and a black cotton jacket, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

* * *

"Okay, so tomorrow night's movie night, right?" Oliver asked Abby and Brianna.

Both girls nodded and Brianna gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Can we watch Tangled again?" she asked.

Oliver rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "We'll see," he answered her then gave her a big hug. He stepped over to Abby and gave her a hug and kiss as well. "Goodnight, sweetheart," he said and both of his girls responded with a "goodnight daddy," as they ran further into the house.

Oliver felt like an intruder as he stood in the doorway of the house he had happily lived in for the last 15 years. It felt strange to him as he looked around and saw pictures of his daughters and ex wife on the walls, while the number of pictures including him were limited. He noticed the absence of some of his favourite pictures and it caused a heavy sensation in his chest.

"What time did you want to pick them up tomorrow?" Zoe asked, taking a step closer to the front door.

"I'll come by at 5. Is that okay?" he asked. He was going to have the girls over for a movie night and a sleep over and wanted to make them dinner first.

"Yeah, that's fine," Zoe answered. "Izzy promised to be home by noon, so she'll have plenty of time."

Oliver had picked the girls up from school that day and taken them out shopping for a while. Normally, he hated the mall but he went along with what Abby and Brianna wanted to do. Unfortunately, Izzy had already made plans to stay over at a girlfriends house that night so she missed out on their shopping trip, but promised to be there for movie night. Oliver figured that shopping with her dad probably wasn't the coolest thing for her to do so he wasn't too hurt by her decision to skip that trip.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Oliver said, feeling a little awkward as he looked at Zoe. He gave her a polite smile then turned and headed towards his truck. Every time he left that house alone, he felt like something was being torn inside of him. Once inside his truck, he took a deep breath and his eyes carefully looked over the exterior of his old home, which was linked to so many of his favourite memories. He exhaled sharply and quickly swung his right arm over the back of the passenger side headrest, his gaze trailing along with it. He backed out of the driveway, hoping that in time it wouldn't hurt so much to pull away.

* * *

Emily stepped outside of the restaurant, noticing that the sun had almost completely set. She pulled out her cellphone and saw that it was just shy of nine o'clock, then raised her eyebrows in shock. She was surprised that they hadn't taken longer to eat and wondered if everyone was planning on going home, which she wasn't in the mood for. Emily was enjoying herself and wanted to stay out a bit later, seeing as how it was the weekend.

"Anyone feel like going out for a few drinks?" Heather asked, looking around the group of eight ladies expectantly. A few of them hummed and excused themselves, explaining that they had to get home to their children or that they already had other plans for the night.

"I'll go," Emily volunteered, receiving a wink from Heather.

A few others chorused along a few "Sure, yeah," responses and Janelle, the oldest of the group, suggested just the right place.

"The Black Penny," Janelle said with wide eyes. "It's only about a block away. I went there a few times and the guys are really hot. Real manly men," she added with enthusiasm.

Everyone laughed but decided to give it a try, not really knowing where else to go. Janelle was the rowdiest of the group and it was always fun to watch her talk to men she found attractive. Emily looked at her a little apprehensively, wondering how she would be acting tonight, but figured it would be nice to get out. Janelle was a little rough around the edges but had a good heart. She knew who she was and didn't really care much if people didn't like her, which Emily admired.

Those who were going to the Penny said their goodbyes to the others who were heading home, promising them that they would keep in touch despite the season being over. Emily, including three other women, made their way down the block, heading towards the Black Penny.

Janelle entered first, practically skipping into the doorway when she swung it open. Emily shook her head and smiled at the ground, thinking _This should be interesting,_ as she entered last. She blinked a few times, getting used to the change in lighting and heard the loud chatter of men and women mixed with the beat of indistinctive 80's rock. She smiled and took a look around the bar. It had a pub feel to it, making Emily feel comfortable since she was worried that it was going to be more like a dance club, which she felt way too old for. She walked in farther and spotted a bar on the left hand side surrounded with bar stools. A few men and women sat some of the stools and a bartender was chatting with one of the couples. Tables were scattered throughout the rest of the bar, except for a spot on the right hand side, towards the back, which was occupied by a small stage. Emily smiled as she looked around, feeling like she might enjoy this bar.

The group of ladies, lead by Janelle, headed towards a table in the middle of the bar off to the right. Emily sat down with her back to the bar and gave her drink order to Janelle, who was more than willing to get their drinks. She leaned back and looked around the bar, thinking that Janelle made a good choice in suggesting this bar.

Sam sat at the bar nursing a beer, waiting for Andy to join him after her shift. He had his back to the door but had seen Emily walk in with a few other women. He smiled mischievously when he saw her and reached for his cellphone.

* * *

Only a few blocks away after dropping off Abby and Brianna, Oliver's cellphone began ringing. He furrowed his brow, debating whether to answer it or just keep driving home. After a few rings, he grumbled and pulled over on the side of the road.

He pulled his phone out of his vest pocket and saw that it was Sam calling. "What it is Sam?" he asked, realizing that he sounded rude.

"Nice greeting," Sam answered sarcastically. "What are you doing?"

Oliver overheard voices and music in the background and assumed that Sam was at the Penny. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, still feeling a upset and a little sad for himself. "Just dropped the girls off, now I'm headed home," Oliver answered. "Why? He went on.

"Come for a drink," Sam suggested.

"No brother, I think I'm going to sit this one out," Oliver said.

"I really think you should come out for a drink man," Sam went on with a smile. He was looking over at Emily and her friends and knew that this would be a perfect chance for Oliver to talk to her.

"Why?" Oliver asked through a loud exhale.

"Just come out to the Penny," Sam commanded then hung up.

Oliver sat in his truck, deciding if he should go meet up with Sam. He wasn't sure how sociable he felt at the moment but thought that talking to Sam might help. Even if he did end up just teasing him about his problems, Oliver always felt better after talking to Sam. It was still early, only just after nine and he really didn't have much else to do that night so he figured he might as well go for a bit.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you for the positive reviews. I hope I can work through the writers block and keep going. Fingers crossed.

Side note: Have you all seen the promo for the next season of Rookie Blue? So pumped for it to start up again!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

Andy McNally sat beside Sam at the bar, animatedly telling him about how her and Dov pulled over a guy twice for running a stop sign. She became annoyed when it was obvious that he wasn't listening to her and instead was staring at a group of women with a sexy grin.

"Should I be jealous?" she asked with spunk.

Sam turned to her with his eyebrows raised, looking innocent. "What?" he asked.

"You've basically been watching that table since I got here," she answered. She was sure that Sam looked at other women while she wasn't around, she wasn't stupid, but to do it right in front on her was really pissing her off.

Sam looked closely at Andy and recognized that expression. She was worried, angry and a little hurt. "There's a woman over there that Oliver's into," he began to explain with a sly smile as he saw Andy's face relax. "He's on his way but I want to make sure she doesn't leave before he gets here."

"Oh," Andy said, feeling a little ashamed for jumping to conclusions. She looked over towards the table of women. "Which one?" she asked as she leaned in to try to get a better look.

"Her back is to us. She's the one in the blue shirt," Sam described.

Andy spotted who Sam was referring to but couldn't get a good look at her. She sat back on her stool and looked over at Sam. "Sorry," she said, giving him a crooked smile and fiddling with her fingers. She felt bad for basically accusing Sam of being interested in another woman.

"Yeah, it's weird. I'm not used to seeing this side of you," Sam answered seriously, then smiled and looked over at Andy out of the corner of his eyes. Andy smacked him on the shoulder and smiled, feeling herself relax again.

* * *

"So are you going to go talk to him?" Emily leaned over and teased Heather. She had been trying her best to discreetly watch a man at the back of the bar basically since they sat down. She kept looking over at him, hoping that he would see her. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying her any attention, either on purpose or simply because he hadn't been able to see her through the crowd of people.

"No!" she practically shrieked. Heather hadn't realized that she was being so obvious.

Emily smiled at her friend and didn't push her any further. She herself wasn't one to go up to a man she was interested in so she felt she had no right to bug Heather about doing it.

They had been at the bar for about half an hour and were having a great time. It had become really crowded since they arrived and Emily could tell that it was a popular bar with regulars. When new people showed up they were usually welcomed by others with a loud shout and pat on they back. She had never really been one to go out to bars that often, but as she watched as everyone seemed to know each other, she could see the appeal of having a favourite place to have a drink on occasion.

Emily looked at their table and saw that most of her friends' drinks were almost done. She stood up and grabbed her purse. "Alright, this rounds on me," she stated and waited for her friends requests.

"Rum and Coke?" Heather asked, still blushing.

"Water," Claire said sadly with a raised hand. She had offered to be the designated driver for the night and had opted for water every time someone got drinks.

"I'll have a Singapore Sling," Janelle said loudly, bouncing along with the music.

Emily nodded and repeated the drink order in her head, adding a vodka and cranberry juice, while heading towards the bar. She bumped into a few people on her way and apologized as she went. When she finally reached the bar she squeezed her way in between two stools and waited patiently for the bartender to finish up with other customers.

* * *

The Penny was busier than Oliver was used to seeing it and he was greeted by a few old friends as he walked in. After giving the generic answer of "Good and you?" about his well being, he finally spotted Sam and Andy and walked over to them.

"Hey, you made it!" Sam exclaimed, turning in his stool and leaning back.

Oliver sat down beside him and smiled hello to Andy. "Yep, you got me here. Now what are you going to do with me?" Oliver answered, half joking. He was still wondering why Sam was so adamant about him coming out. He looked over at Andy and saw her staring back at him, grinning like an idiot. He knew that look and knew that she was hiding something. "What is it McNally? Why did he want me here so badly?" Oliver asked bluntly.

Andy looked at Sam who had turned to her quickly and shook his head ever so slightly. "Just wanted to spend time with his buddy," she answered with a laugh and stood up. "I'm gonna use the washroom. Excuse me," she added and stepped away, leaving Sam to deal with Oliver.

Oliver watched Andy walk away and noticed how she gave Sam a coy smile before disappearing in the crowd of people in front of the bar. He turned to Sam who was looking back at him and lurched back quickly at finding his friend staring at him.

"So how was your night?" Sam asked conversationally, not really ready to reveal that Emily was there at the Penny.

"It was alright. Went shopping with Abby and Brianna. They're going to spend the night tomorrow. Izzy too," Oliver sniffed and shrugged.

Sam looked at his friend and saw that there was something bugging him. His smile slowly disappeared and he turned serious for a second, leaning in closer to Oliver. "What's wrong?"

Oliver twitched his upper lip and titled his head to the side, taking a look around the bar. "I just miss being a constant in their lives," he paused and turned back towards Sam. "It felt so weird being at the house today. It was like I didn't belong there."

"Well, you don't," Sam answered seriously.

"Thanks brother," Oliver quipped, with a furrowed brow and a fake smile. He shook his head and thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to come out after all.

"I didn't mean it that way," Sam began, feeling bad when he saw how hurt Oliver looked after hearing his opinion. "You'll always be a part of your daughters lives. A huge part. You just..." he trailed off, unsure of how to explain his thought. He took in a deep breath. He hadn't expected to be talking about this with Oliver. He had expected some light banter before pressuring him to go talk to Emily. He cleaned his throat. "It didn't work out with you and Zoe. That doesn't mean it didn't work out with you and your girls. You're their dad ... a great dad, and they'll always know how much you love them, even if you aren't living in the same house as them," he finished.

Oliver kept his gaze straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular. He was considering what Sam had said and he realized that he was right. It had been very awkward being alone with Zoe for those few minutes before he left, but he had had a great time with his girls before he dropped them off. It was like nothing had changed between them.

He quickly stood up, feeling the need to shake off the serious moment they just had before he could enjoy himself. "Get me a beer will ya?" he asked Sam as he took out his wallet.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, wondering what he was up to.

"Gotta take a leak," he said, as if it was the most obvious answer, and placed $20 on the bar.

* * *

_Oh no,_ Emily thought to herself. She had ordered drinks for her and her friends and as she watched the bartender place the full glasses in front of her, she realized that she was going to have difficulty getting them all back to her table by herself. She quickly looked back and forth between her friends and the bar, hoping that she would catch the eye of one of her friends. Of course, none of them were looking her way.

Fumbling with her purse and hesitating for a few seconds, she eventually leaned in towards the bar. "Um ... just ... just one second," she said, raising up one finger to the bartender. He nodded, annoyed, but continued making her last drink.

Emily turned to try to flag down one of her friends to come and help her, but she clumsily collided with a solid frame, knocking some of the wind out of her. Blinking rapidly out of shock, she pushed out a labored breath and raised her hands in front of her, trying to compose herself before apologizing to the stranger for bumping into them. She felt hands firmly bracing her arms just above her elbows and looked up to find someone she hadn't expected.

"Emily!" Oliver shouted with a huge smile and wide eyes. They were standing so close together and Oliver had his hands protectively holding her arms. He looked down at her and noticed how pretty she looked staring back at him and was thankful she was there. He was surprised and thrilled to see her again and thought that tonight might be his chance to finally ask her out properly.

Emily stood frozen with her hands still raised in front of her chest, almost touching Olivers. She hadn't seen him up close since that day at the coffee shop and she had forgotten just how handsome he was. Emily saw the way that he was smiling at her and smiled herself, but the look on his face when she saw him at the stations parking lot flashed before her eyes, leaving her to feel uncomfortable. "Look, I didn't know you were here," she defended herself firmly and shrugged herself free from his grasp.

"What?" Oliver asked with squinted eyes, feeling like he missed something.

"I didn't know ... I'm not stalking you," she said, going into self preservation mode, then turned to face the bar again. She had every right to be at that bar and she had no idea that he was going to be there.

"Wait ... what?" Oliver asked, completely baffled.

Emily didn't respond.

He stepped closer to her, wanting to know what she meant by that. "Um, what are talking about?"

Emily felt herself growing warm with frustration. She figured that she might as well tell Oliver that she had overheard Sam's comment and his reaction to it. If that was what he thought of her, then he was entitled to his own opinion. But she didn't want to have to deal with him being overly polite whenever he saw her, while knowing that he wanted to get away from her as quickly as possible. She needed to call him on it.

She huffed out a sigh and turned to him, determined to make her point without backing down. That's when Emily saw the confused and worried look on Oliver's face. She saw the way that his eyebrows were pulled together and tilted upwards. She'd seen that look countless times at work on children who were nervously awaiting the consequences for their actions. She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself when she began to almost feel sorry for Oliver. "I overheard Sam call me your stalker," she blurted out quickly but assertively. She took a deep breath and tried to continue when she saw Oliver pull back a little and squint, making her realize that he didn't understand what she was talking about. "I stopped by to drop off a letter for Sarah and when I was walking home I saw you guys ... and overheard the whole thing," she finished then looked at the bartender who had been trying to get her attention to tell her her total.

Oliver watched as Emily handed over her money to the bartender, then felt a wave of relief wash over him when he realized that he could easily explain that conversation. He let out a small laugh when he remembered how Sam had teased him that day.

Emily turned quickly to face Oliver when she heard him laugh, and glared at him. _He's laughing at me? Wow, what an ass_, she told herself then shook her head and looked back at the bar. She tried to grab the drinks the best she could but fumbled with them and almost knocked them over when he felt Oliver place his hand on her elbow.

"No. No, no, no," Emily heard Oliver say too quickly, before she turned to look at him. "That wasn't what happened," he paused. "Well it was, but ... you have the context all wrong," he was smiling now and feeling a little nervous, but Emily didn't understand what he found so amusing. "I told Sam that I'd run into you a few times since we met and he joked around and called you my stalker. It was nothing really, he wasn't serious," he rambled on then paused again, noticing that Emily still looked upset. "Look, that day, he was just bugging me. It was a stupid comment, but he meant nothing by it. He was just teasing me," he tried to explain.

"About what?" she asked skeptically.

_Should I just tell her?_ Oliver asked himself as Emily looked at him expectantly. He realized that a bar probably wasn't to best place to ask her out, but it would explain why Sam had been teasing him, and hopefully make Emily feel more at ease. Besides, if he didn't clear the air with her now, he was fairly certain that she wouldn't want to see him at all again. He looked towards the ground and shoved one hand into his pocket, trying to work up the nerve to just blurt it out.

Emily watched as Oliver stared at the ground and bit his bottom lip. She couldn't help but feel nervous at what he was going to tell her and wondered why he seemed so nervous as well.

Oliver's chest began to pound as he looked up at Emily. He took in a deep breath and paused. "Uh, ab ... about how nervous I am to ask you out," he finally said, with a grin, like it was no big deal.


	10. Chapter 10

I must apologize for the very long delay in updates. I must confess that I have been having a bit of writers block lately or perhaps it's just life that has been getting in the way. Either way, here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy. I don't see myself continuing the story too much longer so I'll try to update soon.

And I must thank linda p for her PM that encouraged me to get my butt in gear and finish this chapter! Thank you!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

_Oliver's chest began to pound as he looked up at Emily. He took in a deep breath and paused. "Uh, ab ... about how nervous I am to ask you out," he finally said, with a grin, like it was no big deal._

_"_What?" Emily practically giggled.

Oliver felt his stomach drop. He hadn't expected Emily to laugh at his confession and now he regretted what he had just admitted to her. Since they had met, Oliver felt that there was something very sincere about Emily and after bumping into her a few times he started to feel a real connection with her. He foolishly had thought that perhaps she felt it too, or at least hoped she had. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Then, just as he resolved to apologize and walk away, he saw it. He saw the way that her mouth nervously twitched into a smile and how her eyes quickly darted around, looking everywhere but at him, then finally locked onto his own with hesitation. He smiled as he watched Emily's eyelashes flutter and she bit on her bottom lip. He knew in that instant that she felt the connection too.

Oliver's smile deepened and he took a step closer, feeling confident by her reaction. "I, uh ... I've been meaning to ask you out for a while now. But, I wasn't sure if it would have been appropriate, or if you would have even wanted me to..."

"I wanted you to," Emily cut him off quickly. She wasn't sure where all of this was coming from but she was thrilled.

"Really?" Oliver asked, unable to stop his voice from going an octave higher than usual.

Emily smiled broadly and nodded, enjoying Oliver's reaction. She turned to her right when she heard someone clear their throat and realized that her drinks were still sitting on the bar. Emily grabbed two of them, and saw Oliver's hands reaching in for the remaining two. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Thanks."

Oliver accepted Emily's gratitude with a smile and waited for her to lead the way back to her table. She turned and headed towards the middle of the bar, weaving back and forth between the people in her way.

As they approached her table, Emily thought about what Oliver had just told her and hoped that he was being honest with her. She recalled the times that they had bumped into each other since they met and how Oliver had acted around her. He usually seemed happy to see her and, like herself, a little nervous. When she had overheard him speaking to Sam that day in the parking lot, she felt that it was completely out of character for him, or at least what she knew of him. Perhaps he was being honest with her when he told her that it had been a misunderstanding. After all, he did confess that he had been wanting to ask her out. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the way that Oliver admitted that he liked her. She felt herself growing warm as she blushed and wondered if he would officially ask her out soon.

As Oliver followed behind Emily he debated over how to ask Emily out. The last time he had asked a woman out on a date he was in his early twenties, and he felt himself revert back to his old timid self. He couldn't believe that he was getting so nervous about asking Emily out. He dealt with stressful and sometimes life threatening situations on a daily basis with his job but here he was trying to psych himself up to ask out a woman. He wasn't sure if he should be sincere and honest or try to play it funny and cool.

They made it back to Emily's table and her friends looked up at them in surprise. Emily smiled at Heather, who she was sure recognized Oliver and remembered their conversation about him. Heather grinned then tucked in her bottom lip in an attempt to hide her smile.

"And who's this?" Janelle asked, as Emily had expected.

"This is Oliver," Emily answered while putting down the drinks and turning to grab the others from Oliver. She caught his eye while she took the drinks and mouthed "Sorry" to him before turning back to the table. "Oliver, this is Heather, Janelle, and Claire," she introduced as she pointed everyone out.

"Hi," they all answered in unison.

"Hello," Oliver chuckled. He then reached up and lightly grabbed Emily's arm, just above her elbow. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," Emily answered then turned to her friends. "I'll be right back," she said and received a wink from Janelle. Emily let out a small playful scoff and turned to follow Oliver who stepped back just a few paces to give them some privacy, from her friends at least.

As Emily stepped up to Oliver she could tell that he was nervous by the way he let out a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. When she reached him, Emily felt a wave of warmth run through her and was sure that she was blushing, being both nervous and excited about what Oliver was going to say. She took in a shallow breath and waited for Oliver to say something.

"So..." Oliver started in a quiet tone, then sniffed and rubbed his forefinger under his nose. "You think we could run into each other sometime on purpose?" he asked playfully, thinking about their previous meetings. He then squinted slightly and grimaced, thinking about how insincere that sounded and knew that Emily was a woman who deserved to be asked out properly. Oliver cleared his throat and tried again. "Would you like to have dinner with me, or maybe coffee?"

The smile that spread across Emily's lips actually started to hurt her cheeks. She knew that Oliver was about to ask her out but actually hearing him say the words made her really happy. She watched as Oliver waited for her to answer him, his eyebrows pulled up nervously. The lower than usual lighting in the bar really softened his eyes and Emily felt her stomach flutter as she looked into them.

"I'd love to," she finally said, then let out a small laugh when Oliver let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Great," he replied, feeling more at ease now that he got that out of the way.

They stood for a moment, awkwardly staring at each other, wondering what to do next when Oliver finally spoke up. "Did you want to join me for a drink or ..." he left the question open, allowing Emily to decide what she wanted to do. Oliver watched her look back quickly to her friends then turned back to him, enjoying the way that her hair swayed as she moved.

"Thank you, but I'm gonna head back to my friends. We're celebrating the end of our volleyball season," Emily explained, even though she would have loved to spend a bit more time with him. _Later_, she told herself then felt her stomach flip at the thought of going on a date with Oliver.

Although he would have loved to spend time with Emily that night, Oliver was glad that she opted to go back to her friends instead. He appreciated that she was close with her friends and didn't neglect them, especially since they had plans for the night. Every so often he needed some time with his brothers and he liked that Emily seemed to feel the same about her friends.

Oliver slowly nodded and gave her a playful smile. "I totally get that," he said, then looked over his shoulder back to where Sam was sitting. "Well, how about I give you a call. Say, Sunday?" he asked, knowing that he would be busy the next day with his girls.

"I'll talk to you on Sunday," Emily answered with a grin.

"Okay," Oliver said cheerfully, pushing his hands in his pockets and lifting his shoulders. He stood there for a few seconds, wondering if he should just walk away or shake her hand or wait for her to so something else.

"Have a good night," Emily said, lightly touching his arm, then turned away and headed back to her table. Oliver watched her walk away then let out a happy sigh while smiling. He turned back towards Sam, forgetting about using the washroom and walked back to sit at the bar.

Sam didn't say anything to Oliver when he returned. He had been watching Oliver and Emily the whole time they were talking and assumed that it went well by the smile on both of their faces when they walked away from each other. He looked over at Oliver and saw him take a drink from his beer. Sam had to hold back a laugh as he saw the way Oliver was grinning and had his eyes cast over at Emily's table.

* * *

"And who was that?" Janelle leaned in and asked Emily excitedly. She cocked her head to look over to where Oliver was sitting and noticed Sam sitting beside him. "And who is _that_!?" she added.

Emily followed Janelle's gaze and spotted Oliver and Sam sitting at the bar. Oliver was looking back at her and raised his beer to her and smiled, making Emily smile back. She turned to answer Janelle. "That was Oliver and that," she said, pointing her thumb towards the bar, "is Sam. They're police officers. They took my statement the night I saw those guys outside of my apartment," Emily explained, knowing that she had told Janelle about that night.

"Hmm, do you think they'll be coming over here at all," Janelle asked, not taking her eyes off of Sam.

Emily shook her head and smirked. "I doubt it," she answered, then looked over at Heather, who was smiling at her.

"What did he say?" Heather asked, wondering why Oliver had pulled Emily aside.

Emily tried to hide her big smile by looking down for a second, then licked her lips and looked back up at Heather. "He asked me out."

Heather almost jumped back in her chair, then leaned forward again to speak to Emily. "That's great," she said, remembering how excited Emily had been when she talked about Oliver.

At that moment Emily was glad that she hadn't told Heather about the "stalker" comment she overheard. If she had, she knew that Heather would be questioning her about whether it was a good idea to go out with him.

* * *

Oliver kept his gaze on Emily for quite some time after he sat down next to Sam. He figured Sam would be curious to know why he was ignoring him but he didn't care. He just couldn't take his eyes off of her. She frequently turned around and stole glances at him with a quick grin, which made Oliver smile and feel very flattered. He felt a little guilty knowing that she had thought that he was upset with her, thinking that she had been following him around. _I'll have to explain to her what really happened_, he thought, knowing that he really didn't clarify it during their brief conversation.

He finally looked away from Emily and turned to find Sam staring at him with an expectant look on his face. Oliver took a sip of his beer in an attempt to act like nothing had happened.

"Want to explain that?" Sam asked while still looking at Oliver. He had been watching him since he sat down and he hadn't taken his eyes off of Emily. He also had a big smirk on his face.

"Explain what?" Oliver turned and answered, not knowing what Sam meant.

Sam pointed at Oliver's mouth. "That," he said, referring to his smile. "You haven't stopped smiling since you sat down," he went on.

Oliver laughed. "What, now I'm not allowed to smile?" he joked.

"No, no, you can smile all you want, I'm just not used to seeing you with _that_ kind of smile," Sam explained. He was having fun bugging Oliver, seeing as how he was the one who always teased him about Andy. He liked being on this end of the teasing.

Oliver gave in, knowing that Sam was about to tease him. "Oh, and what kind of smile do I have?" he asked, having a pretty good idea of what was coming next.

"The 'Gee golly, she sure is pretty' kind of smile," Sam answered with an innocent voice. "What happened with Emily?"

"Nothing," Oliver answered with a shrug. He waited a few seconds before continuing. "I just asked her out."

"Finally," Sam exclaimed, smacking Oliver on the back.

"Yeah, but look," Oliver began, feeling that he needed to explain to Sam about what Emily overheard. "She was under the impression that you thought she was talking me."

Sam squinted at Oliver, not knowing what he meant.

"She dropped off a letter for Sarah one day and walked by the lot and overheard you calling her my stalker. She was pretty convinced that we both felt that way," Oliver explained, feeling guilty again.

"Oh god, Ollie I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean anything by that comment..." Sam started.

"I know you didn't," Oliver cut him off. "But Emily did. And I'm going to try to explain it better to her what really happened, but from now on," he paused looking closely at Sam so he knew that he really meant what he was about to say, "No more of those comments, okay?"

Sam nodded and genuinely felt bad. "You got it," he answered then raised his beer to cheers Oliver, who gladly raised his own drink.

Over the next hour or so, Emily enjoyed her night out with her girlfriends. They continued to have a few more drinks and sang along with the music that was playing throughout the bar. Her friends were curious about Oliver and Emily described how they had met and kept running into each other, resulting in her little crush on him. They were happy for her and teased her a little when Emily told them that Oliver had asked her out. Janelle had tried to talk her into going over and chatting with Oliver again, but Emily refused. Even though he asked if she'd like to have a drink with him, she didn't want to push her luck and come on too strong with Oliver.

Another highlight of Emily's evening was sneaking glances over at Oliver who was sitting with Sam and a pretty brunette, who she assumed was Sam's girlfriend. Whenever Oliver caught her looking at him he would smile at her, making her blush and turned back to her friends. She felt a bit guilty at times, not being completely present with her friends but she couldn't help it. The idea of finally spending time with Oliver made her night out seem that much better.

Meanwhile, Oliver spent most of the night trying to stay focused on Sam and Andy. He was finding it difficult though, since they seemed to be in their own little world at times, and often found himself looking back towards Emily. He laughed when he caught her and her girlfriends singling along to the music playing within the Penny and liked that she had a bit of a goofy side, much like his own. He was guilty of belting out hair metal when a song inspired him on the radio and he chuckled at the thought of how often someone in custody would complain in the back seat, stating that he was torturing them.

His attention was caught and he became curious when he saw Emily stand up along with her girlfriends and made their way towards him and the entrance to the Penny. She was the first in line and was looking at him as they approached.

"Making it an early evening?" Oliver found himself asking as Emily got closer. It was only 11.

Emily nodded and tucked he hair behind her ear. "Yeah, we had a long day," she answered, even though she wasn't all that tired. It was Heather and Janelle who suggested they should head home.

"Hey Emily," Sam chimed in, surprising her.

"Oh. Hi," she answered, still feeling a little uncomfortable around Sam about his comment, even though Oliver cleared it up. "Nice to see you again," she added, not wanting to seem rude.

"You too. This is Andy," Sam went on, pointing over to Andy. "Andy, this is Emily. Oliver's friend," he added with a smirk that made Emily blush once again.

"Nice to meet you," Andy greeted her, finally getting a glimpse at the woman that Oliver was interested in.

"Nice to meet you, too," Emily said with a smile.

Emily went on to introduce her friends to Sam and Andy and they all exchanged pleasantries. As expected, Janelle offered her hand to Sam, eliciting a head shake and smile from Emily.

"You sure you don't have time for one more drink?" Oliver asked, feeling hopeful.

"We don't but Emily does," Heather cut in, before Emily could answer. She turned to Emily with a determined look and whispered, "You're not leaving yet," then turned back to look at Oliver. "Do you think you can get her home safely?" she asked, noticing Oliver's eyes growing wide.

"Yeah of course," he answered Heather, then shifted his attention to Emily. "If you wanted to stay," he added with raised eyebrows.

Emily couldn't really figure out what was happening. She looked back and forth between Oliver's hopeful gaze and Heather's determined one and gulped. "Um, sure," she said slowly then watched as Oliver smiled and pulled up a stool closer to him.

Heather pulled Emily closer and leaned in to her ear. "You're going to stay here and enjoy yourself. If you're not having a good time and need a ride, just call me, and Claire and I will come get you," she instructed.

"You sure?" Emily asked, appreciating Heather's encouragement and suggestion.

Heather didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Oliver, Sam and Andy. "It was nice to meet you guys," she said genuinely then nudged Janelle and Claire towards the door. "Have a good night," she added then looked back at Emily and gave her a quick wink.

Emily stood watching her friends leave the bar and wondered where Heather's boldness came from. She had never seen her take charge like that before and she was slightly baffled.

"Have a seat," she heard from beside her then turned and felt her heart pound when she saw Oliver gesturing to the stool next to him.


	11. Chapter 11

I feel bad for taking forever to update, but lately, I just haven't had much time to sit down and write. And when I do have ideas for this story, I don't have an opportunity to jot them down, which causes me to lose my train of thought. I'm thinking that I won't continue this story for too much longer, seeing as how I'm having a hard enough time getting only a few chapters out and I don't want to drag it on too long.

So here is the next chapter in my little Oliver story. I am so happy that Rookie Blue is back on, and I feel bad that Oliver is having a hard time readjusting to life back in his marriage. But I must admit that while watching it, I thought "But what about Emily?" Then realized, "Yeah, that's all just in my head."

Anyways, please review and let me know what you think. Getting reviews really motivates me to keep on writing and the few that I am getting are great, I just kind of wish that more of you would let me know what you're thinking.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

He sat back in his stool watching his best friend, his brother, of 15 years, opening up to a woman he clearly liked. Sam couldn't help but hold a grin on his face as he overheard Oliver and Emily talking and genuinely enjoying each others company. He listened to Oliver talk about how he had decided to become a police officer and how much he loved his job, most of the time. Sam heard Emily describe how she originally wanted to become a teacher but realized that she loved working with the children who needed a different approach to learning. He understood why Oliver liked Emily. In the short time that he was listening to them, Sam realized that Emily was sweet and sincere. And she was able to handle and play off of Oliver's sarcasm, which he knew Oliver would appreciate. Sam thought it was great how she became really interested when Oliver spoke about his daughters and asked how they were handling the whole seperation, which was a big deal considering that most people only ever asked Oliver how he was handling it. Sam also appreciated how easy going and independent Emily seemed, thinking it was great that she had hobbies and a life of her own. Since they had the kind of job where plans could be cancelled at the last minute, he figured that Emily would be able to handle disappointments like that if her and Oliver started dating.

Sam looked carefully at Emily and noticed the way that she was looking at Oliver. Her eyes bounced between watching Oliver's lips and eyes and when she did look into his eyes for more than a few seconds, she blushed and smiled, all while finding a way to fiddle with her hands. It was the same look he had seen on Andy's face before they started dating, which he always loved seeing. He smiled and looked away, feeling that Emily truly liked Oliver and could be a good match for him.

"How'd they meet?" Andy whispered, leaning in to Sam while keeping her eyes on Oliver and Emily. She had also been keeping a close eye on them and wondered what was going on.

Sam turned and looked at Oliver, assuming that was who Andy was asking about. Seeing as how they were laughing loudly at something, Sam didn't think it was necessary to answer Andy in a whisper. "She called in a complaint and then helped us identify a suspect," he recalled. "Then they just kept bumping into each other after that." Sam then felt a twinge of guilt about teasing Oliver about her.

"Huh," Andy laughed, feeling happy for Oliver. "It's funny, I'm not used to seeing him like this," she went on.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Just," she shook her head slightly and raised her hand in an "I don't know gesture," trying to find the right way to say it. "Just, so happy … and relaxed." Andy appreciated Oliver's sense of humor and could always count on him to lighhten the mood. However, after his separation from Zoe, he had seemed a little off and not his normal outgoing self. But tonight, he seemed different. Despite being excited around Emily, which was obvious as soon as Emily had sat down, Oliver also seemed at ease around her as well. Andy liked seeing the old Oliver return.

"You guys wanna grab a table?" Oliver turned and asked, feeling bad for ignoring Sam and Andy for the last 10 minutes while he was talking to Emily.

"Yeah, lead the way," Sam answered, shifting in his stool to stand up. He glanced over at Andy and raised his eyebrows, finding it curious that Oliver didn't want to keep Emily all to himself.

Emily slid off of her stool, grabbed her drink like the others did and waited for Oliver to step in front of her and take the lead. Once he did, she fell in behind and followed him towards the back of the bar, watching him say hello and shake hands with several people along the way who seemed happy to see him. She smiled, liking how friendly and outgoing Oliver was.

Since her friends had left, giving her an opportunity to speak with Oliver, she was really enjoying his company and was starting to relax a little. He had told her about his shopping trip with his girls and their plans to have dinner and a movie night the following night, and she filled him in on her week at work and her night out with her volleyball team. She liked how he beamed when he talked about his daughters and how much he looked forward to their time together. Emily got butterflies whenever he smiled a particular way, leaving him look carefree and so innocent. She was glad that Heather had pushed her into staying behind. It gave her a chance to get to know Oliver better without the added pressure of labelling it a date.

"This good?" Oliver asked, pointing towards an empty table in front of him.

Emily nodded then heard Sam agree from a step behind her. Oliver pulled out a chair for Emily with a smile then sat down in the one next to hers. Sam, following Oliver's lead, pulled out a chair for Andy beside Emily, receiving an odd look from her, who was not used to his chivalrous side. Sam shrugged and smirked at her look then sat down between Oliver and Andy.

"So Emily, you ever been to the Penny before? " Sam asked, feeling he owed it to Oliver to be friendly with her.

"No, this is my first time," Emily answered with a shake of her head. "My friend Janelle recommended it," she added with a smile, then blinked and looked over at Oliver, feeling grateful that she had decided to go out for a drink instead of heading home right after dinner.

"What do you think of it?" Sam added.

"I like it," she answered with a sincere smile. "Seems like a good group of people."

Oliver looked at Sam who was already staring back at him with a knowing grin. He raised his bottle up to Sam in a toast. "To good people," he cheered, clinking his bottle to Sam and then to Andy, knowing that the Penny was full of mostly police officers that night. Emily watched and felt a little out of the loop as they all wore proud smiles looking around the bar.

The next hour went by too quickly. Emily and Oliver talked about anything and everything that happened to come up, never once feeling an awkward pause in their conversation. Sam and Andy watched on and enjoyed seeing their brother so happy, liking that Emily was brining him out of his recent funk. They both felt a debt of gratitude to Oliver who was always there for them and believed that they right for each other, even if they didn't believe it themselves.

"Ollie!" a man shouted from behind Emily. She leaned forward, almost ducking at how loud he was and looked at Oliver as he stood up and hugged the man who called his name. _Ollie_, she thought. _That's cute._

"Cooper, man, how are you?" Oliver asked with his arm still around the man's shoulders.

"Really good. Just got back from vacation. Start again in a few days," Cooper answered, looking over at Sam and Andy. "McNally. Swarek," he said cheerfully, leaning over the table and shaking their hands.

"Emily this is Shaun Cooper, one of the officers we work with. Cooper, this is Emily," Oliver introduced them, not wanting Emily to feel left out of anything.

She extended her hand and shook Coopers'. "Nice to meet you," Emily said, noticing how he tried to discreetly look over at Oliver before he answered that it was nice to meet her too.

Emily sat back and watched as Andy, Sam and Oliver visited with Cooper and had a laugh at some of the work related stories they told. Oliver, who was still standing, caught Emily's eye a few times and smiled at her, letting the eye contact linger, almost to the point where one of them felt the need to look away in embarrassment. He was having a really nice time with her and couldn't deny that the more time he spent with her the more he wanted to know about her. He was really looking forward to spending some time with her, without his friends around.

Cooper left a few minutes later, allowing Oliver to sit back down next to Emily. When he slid his chair in towards the table, his knee brushed up against Emily's. As a reflex, Emily flinched and pulled her leg away, but quickly replaced it and left it resting against Olivers. While still feeling the chills that burst through his body when Emily placed her leg back against his own, Oliver leaned forward and took a drink of his beer, peaking over at Emily who smiled back at him, feeling equally excited.

"Bathroom break?" Andy asked, looking over at Emily.

"Oh, um ... yeah," she answered in surprise, at first not knowing that Andy was talking to her.

"Don't talk about us too much," Sam lazily called out as Emily followed behind Andy, causing them both to laugh.

Not needing to actually use the washroom, Emily stood in front of a mirror while Andy chose a stall. She wiped away at a small smudge of mascara on her eyelid that she hoped wasn't too noticeable and dug in her purse for her Chapstick.

"He's a really good guy," Andy said as she came out of her stall.

"Sorry?" Emily said, not quite sure what Andy was saying.

"Oliver. He's a really good guy. Great guy actually," Andy clarified as she stepped closer to Emily at the sinks and washed her hands.

Emily smiled and looked down at the ground. "Yeah, I'm ... I'm starting to realize that," she answered fondly. It was obvious that he was a nice guy when they first met, but the more time she spent with him the more Emily realized that there were so many great qualities about him that she wanted to see more of.

Andy watched Emily and saw how her face lit up when she spoke about Oliver. She turned and leaned against the sink, crossing her arms.

"Look, I'm not trying to be all high school about this but ... I think Oliver really likes you, and I can see why," Andy tried to explain her feelings, making Emily smile. "You're really nice and he deserves to be with someone like you. And he deserves to be happy," she paused, thinking about how much confidence he had had in her and Sam's relationship. He was always there for them and she wanted to be there for him as well. "I don't know if you guys'll start dating or whatever, but just ... just be good to him okay? He's one of the good ones."

Emily was surprised. She was excited about hearing Andy's thoughts of Oliver liking her and about how she seemed to have approved of her. "I will," she answered, appreciating how Andy was looking out for Oliver.

Andy nodded deeply and pushed herself off of the sink. "Alright, let's go see if we can catch them talking about us."

They returned to the table and Andy accused the guys of talking about them while they were away, to which they both raised their arms and played innocent. Emily sat down next to Oliver and received a wide grin from him, making her smile as well. She was really starting to like that particular smile of his.

For the next hour or so, Emily and Oliver got lost in their own little world, getting brought back to reality by a throat clearing or question from Sam or Andy. They were having a great time talking and flirting with each other, both blaming the noise in the bar and wanting to hear the other better as their reason for moving in closer to each other. On more than one occasion, Emily found herself almost holding her breath when her and Oliver silently stared at one another. She wondered how she could be liking someone so much after just recently not wanting to run into him again.

"Wow, it's already one," Andy remarked, while looking at her cell phone.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, not expecting it to be that late. He had been having such a great time with Emily that he didn't even bother to look at the time. "Should we call it a night?" he asked, saving Emily to look at last. She gave a small smirk and nodded yes after Sam and Andy both agreed that they should head out.

Sam and Andy stood up first, while Emily slipped into her jacket. It quickly dawned on her that she wasn't sure how she was getting home. She nervously looked around then stood up, grabbing her purse from the arm of her chair. As she was about to step away from her chair, she felt a warm hand press gently on her lower back, causing her to straighten up. She turned her head and took in a quick, shallow breath when she saw Oliver step in closer to her with a faint smile. She smiled back, feeling him lightly pressed up against her arm, and felt her heart pounding, then walked over towards the entrance to the bar, telling herself to calm down and keep walking.

Oliver kept his hand on Emily's lower back until they reached the entrance to the Penny, when he pushed open the door and held it open for her. She stepped through, feeling a cold spot where his hand had just been, and followed in Sam and Andy's direction. She then remembered her conversation with Heather before she left and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, noticing a new text message. She opened it and read "_Well?_" Smiling, she quickly responded "_Great_!" then put her phone away.

"You guys need a ride?" Sam offered over his shoulder, while heading towards his truck.

Emily, believing that Oliver would accept the offer, adjusted her purse and took a step forward, getting ready to head to Sam's truck. Instead, she saw Oliver look back at her, then back and forth down the street and finally quickly up at the sky.

"You know what, Sammy," he started. "I think we're gonna walk," then paused. "If that's okay with you?" he added, looking back at Emily with raised eyebrows.

Emily pulled her head back and quickly nodded. "Yeah, that's ... that's fine," she answered, surprised by Oliver's suggestion.

"Alright I'll see you in a few days," Sam said to Oliver. "And Emily, it was nice seeing you again," he continued with a wave as he backed up closer to his truck.

"Yeah, you too," Emily answered, looking over at Andy giving Oliver a hug and whispering something to him while smiling at her.

"It was nice meeting you, Emily," Andy called out to her as she backed away from Oliver. She held a smile on her face that Emily knew was meant for her to remember their conversation in the washroom.

"Nice meeting you too, Andy," she answered with her own smile, feeling glad to have met Andy and be accepted by her. She looked over to see Oliver approaching her, who looked like he had been blushing.

Once he reached Emily's side, Oliver turned around and waved at Sam and Andy who were pulling out of their parking spot.

"Hope it's okay that we walk. Sam just lives in the opposite direction and I didn't want him backtracking," he quickly thought up, while really only suggesting they walk because he wanted to spend more time with Emily. "And I had a few drinks so I shouldn't be driving so I figured we could just walk since we live somewhat close to each other then I could get my truck tomorrow morning," Oliver rambled on, causing Emily to smile and let out a small laugh.

"Oliver," she cut in, looking up at him with a sweet grin. " I don't mind walking."

* * *

Please let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

So this is the last chapter in my little story. Sort of. I'm going to add an epilogue, which is already planned out and mostly written, instead of going on and on for several more chapters that, in all honesty, probably wouldn't get written with the way I've been updating. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I had a lot of fun writing it and you encouragement meant a lot to me. Thank you!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the Rookie Blue characters.

* * *

"Um ... what was that about?" Emily managed to ask as they slowly walked down the street. She didn't want to be nosey but she was curious about what Andy had whispered to him when they were saying goodbye. Oliver looked at her, wondering what she meant. She pointed behind them. "Back there. What ... what Andy said to make you blush," she explained.

"Oh, uh," he stuttered, pushing his hands deep into his pockets. "She told me not to mess this up," Oliver answered awkwardly before letting out a small laugh. Emily smiled broadly and looked forward, not sure of how to respond.

They continued walking for a few minutes in silence, both beginning to feel a little nervous, now that they were on their own. Despite their growing nerves, they began to gradually move closer and closer together as they walked, until their arms kept brushing up against each other.

"So how long have Sam and Andy been together?" Emily asked, breaking the silence.

"Those two? Ugh..." Oliver grumbled with a smile, thinking about how stubborn each of them were about admitting their feelings for each other. He went on to describe how Sam and Andy's relationship slowly progressed, telling Emily how he had to continue to push Sam into realizing his feelings for Andy. "Think that's why he bugged me so much about you," he finished.

"About me? You're stalker?" she joked.

Oliver's arms then broke out in goosebumps. He knew that Emily was joking but he still felt bad about that comment and realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to explain it all. "Look, about that ..." he began timidly.

"Oliver, you don't have to explain ..." Emily tried to stop him.

"No, no, I know," he stopped and turned towards her, reaching out his hand and placing it on her arm before she walked ahead of him. He closed his eyes briefly and looked down before shaking his head and looking back up at her. "I just want you to know what that was all about." He took a deep breath and let go of her arm. "Sam had been bugging me about you ... I guess he could tell that I liked you. Anyways, I mentioned that I kept running in to you and gave you a ride home one night and he just joked and called you my stalker. He wasn't serious," he paused, trying to read Emily's expression. She didn't look upset, just focused on what he was saying. Oliver went on. "After that he kept pestering me to ask you out and then that day ... when you saw us ... he had just fnished telling me to wipe the mustard off of my face because you were standing at the gate behind me. Unfortunately, he used that unflattering nickname to let me know you were there. And when I turned around ... Well, I did say 'Oh shit,' and turn away but it was because I had that glob of mustard on my face," he remembered with embarrassment as he pointed to his mouth. "When I turned back around, you were gone. I even ran after you but you had disappeared."

Emily remembered that day and how much it had hurt to think that Oliver thought so negatively of her. As she looked at him, she saw the sincerity in his warm eyes and knew that he was telling the truth. His mouth was set in a worried line, waiting for her to respond. She didn't realize it, but her expression had turned serious as she listened to Oliver. When she saw the worried look on his face, she slowly smiled and looked down, wanting to lighten the mood.

"You ran after me?" she asked coyly, bringing her eyes up to meet Oliver's.

Oliver's face washed over with relief. "Yep. Yep, totally sprinted after you but you were gone," he admitted. "You're fast."

She smiled again, feeling flattered, and turned to continue walking, with Oliver following her lead. They kept chatting as they walked, about their familes and childhoods, surprised that they had such similar upbringings. They also got on the touchy subject of past relationships, which made them both curious and nervous at the same time. Emily told Oliver about her last relationship, which lasted just over two years and ended without any hurtful drama. She admitted that towards the end of their relationship, her and her ex boyfriend both realized that they just weren't right for each other and didn't have enough of a spark to keep them working at the relationship. Oliver could understand, admitting that his marriage ended under similar circumstances. He told Emily about how him and Zoe had slowly grown apart over the years and that his career didn't help the matter any. Deep down, Oliver worried that it would always be an issue with any future relationship he had, but being a police officer was too big a part of him to give it up.

As they continued to walk, they past by a group of loud bar hoppers who were taking up most of the sidewalk and bouncing around as they continued on to the next bar. Oliver stepped closer to Emily and protectively took hold of her hand, steering her away from the edge of the sidewalk and walked a step in front of her, sheilding her from a potential accidental run in with someone from the group. Emily held on tightly to Oliver's hand, appreciating his protective side and enjoying the fact that he was, if only for a moment, holding her hand. Once they were clear, Oliver stepped back in line beside Emily and looked over at her with a apologetic grin.

"Sorry, I just didn't want them bumping in to you," Oliver said, trying to explain his actions. He sometimes found it difficult to turn off his protective instincts as a police officer.

"No, it's okay. Thank you," she answered sincerely. She turned and looked ahead, trying to hide her red cheeks. He was still holding her hand.

Up ahead, Emily spotted the post office that was only about a 20 minute walk from her apartment and began to feel disappointed that they would soon have to say goodnight. She noticed a pizza place coming up and quickly made a decision.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked curiously.

"Yes," Oliver groaned, admitting that he hadn't eaten in hours.

"Pizza?" she suggested.

"Let's do it," Oliver answered enthusiastically.

Oliver opened the door for Emily and waved her in, only then realizing that he had been holding her hand for the last few minutes. He let out a small, unnoticed laugh, thinking how natural and not at all awkward it seemed. They stepped up in line to order behind several people who were also out late enjoying their Friday night. Both agreeing on a slice of pepperoni, Emily ordered before Oliver got the chance when it was their turn in line.

"I owe you for the burger," she stated with a shrug when she saw the quizzical look Oliver's face.

"Guess that's fair," he answered before she pulled out her wallet to pay.

His attention was pulled down to her wallet by a shimmer of light. He looked closely, noticing a small, irrodescent, heart shaped pendent, about the size of a dime, attached to the zipper of her change pocket. He narrowed his eyes at it, realizing that it was something that he would most likely find dangling from his daughters backpack, not attached to Emily's wallet. He was surprised, not taking Emily for a girly girl. Emily looked over and noticed Oliver's focused gaze. He looked up and saw her staring back at him.

"Nice pendent," he quickly said, wanting to explain what he had been staring at.

Emily looked down, wondering what he was talking about, then saw the pendent dangling from her change pouch. "Oh that," she said, forgetting that it was even there after so long. "It was a gift," she explained.

"Oh," Oliver simply replied. He looked away, waiting for their slices.

Emily felt bad for giving him such a quick and vague answer and decided to elaborate, not wanting to come off as flippant. "When I did my final placement for college, I became really close with my placement advisor. On my last day working she gave me this, admiting that it was silly, but she said that the kids really liked me and that I'll always have a piece of their heart," she explained, looking down at the pendent and smiling at the memory of how much she enjoyed her time at that school. "It looks funny, I know, but it has sentimental value and I like keeping it with me. It reminds me why I like my job so much," she added, smiling at the man who placed their pizza in front of them.

Oliver stared at her, feeling his heart pound a little harder than usual and his chest swell slightly. The more he found out about Emily, the more he liked her. "That's not silly at all," he assured her then grabbed his slice and walked away from the counter, heading towards the high counter along the window, blocked off with stools.

* * *

Emily stared at him with an open mouth and wide eyes, her heart racing as she processed what he had just told her.

"I was fine in a few days, just a little stiff," Oliver went on after describing how he had been shot on the job. She had asked him what the scariest moment of his career was and he was fairly certain she had not expected to hear that he had been shot.

"Oh my god," she sighed, feeling a heaviness in her chest. She swallowed hard. "And you wanted to keep working after that?"

Oliver thought about it, looking at her shocked expression. Sure he had been nervous about heading back to work after it happened and Zoe was scarred every time he left for his shift after that, but he never seriously considered quitting his job. "I don't know if I could do anything else, to be honest," he answered truthfully, looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow. He had been a police officer long enough that he couldn't imagine doing any other job.

Emily looked carefully at Oliver, noticing how his face relaxed and then became almost sad. He looked away from her and continued to eat his pizza. "What is it?" she asked nervously, knowing that something was on his mind. It could have just been the memory of that incident that was bothering him, but since he had explained it like it had been no big deal, Emily had a feeling that something bigger was preoccupying him.

Oliver swallowed his bite, debating whether or not he wanted to admit to Emily what he was really thinking about. He took in a slow, deep breath, looked over at her and shook his head, giving her a small, quick grin. " 's nothing, sorry," he answered, then turned away again, telling himself to stop thinking about what was really bothering him. Truthfully, every so often, Oliver got caught up in the memory of what happened to Jerry and, not wanting to ruin the night, he decided not to tell Emily about it, just yet.

She watched him absentmindedly pick at his napkin and looked up at his face. She saw the faint wrinkles around his eyes that deepened when he smiled and how his facial hair was just starting to grow into a rugged stubble, making her smile. Emily liked the way that his hair, which she had thought was black but was a dark brown instead, was slightly spiked on top, with sprinkles of grey hair throughout. Oliver turned to look at her briefly and she caught how his eyes looked both green and blue in that particular light. Her smile deepend and looked away from him, worrying that he caught her staring at him. He really was handsome and she kept noticing things about him that she found made him more attractive.

Oliver had taken a second to try to clear his mind of Jerry and was tearing at a napkin without realizing it. He came to and turned to look at Emily, hoping that he wasn't being rude by ignoring her. When he looked at her she had been looking carefully at him and turned away quickly, hiding a smile. He quickly did a double take, wondering why she had been staring at him. _Was she checking me out_? he joked, then took a close look at her while he had the chance. While they sat close together and talked at the Penny, he had noticed how pretty she was and on more than one occasion his heart began to race when she looked at him a certain way, but now that they were in a brightly lit room, he couldn't help but stare at her features. Her hair looked soft and it fell down past her shoulders, framing her face. Her skin was pale but soft, and he liked that he could still see her light freckles. Emily looked up at him just then and smiled, holding his gaze for a few seconds before turning back to her pizza. Oliver saw small traces of dimples in her cheeks when she smiled and was surprised by her eyes. He hadn't been able to tell before but they were blue with a hint of grey and had the faintest orange ring around her pupil, which he had never seen before.

"Should we get going?" Oliver asked cheerfully, deciding that they should get going since it was getting really late. Not to mention wanting to break the serious mood they found themselves in.

"Yeah," Emily agreed, gathering her napkin and her last bit of crust to throw away. After cleaning up their area, they made it to the door and stepped outside, met with a cool breeze. Emily tightened her grip on her jacket collar and Oliver thrust his hands deep into his pockets, both turning towards the direction of their apartments.

"So where did you feel like going on our first _date," _Oliver asked after a few strides, slightly emphasizing the last words, since it felt funny to say.

Emily gave him a little shrug of her shoulder and grinned. "It's funny, I ...this kinda feels like our first date," she answered shyly and clutched onto her purse strap at her shoulder.

Oliver turned and looked at her with a smile, understanding what she meant and liking that she felt that way.

* * *

"So, I'll give you a call on Sunday?" Oliver asked, trying to figure out how to end the night with Emily.

"Sounds good," she answered, also feeling a little nervous.

They were standing outside of Emily's building, both not quite wanting to end their night but knowing that it was really late. The rest of their walk home was filled with light conversation and friendly banter and now they weren't sure of what to do.

Oliver swallowed, wondering if he should go in for a hug, and noticed how dry his throat was, only then regretting his decision to not get a drink with his pizza. "Um ..." he began, feeling bad for asking. "Would you mind if I grabbed a glass of water, before I head out," he stopped, touching his throat. "Pizza made me really thirsty," he admitted.

Emily smiled and nodded. "Of course," she answered and moved to the main door, looking for her keys.

After entering the building, they leisurely walked the steps up to Emily's apartment side by side, mostly in silence, not wanting to make too much noise that late at night. When they reached her door, Oliver stepped back, allowing Emily to unlock it then slipped in behind her as she waited to close the door. She was getting nervous being alone with Oliver, but excited as well. She took a deep breath and closed the door, placing her purse down on the ground in her closet. When she turned on the hallway and kitchen lights, Oliver was brought back to the night that they first met. He smiled, looking in the living room where he had taken her statement and remembered that, besides thinking that Emily was sweet, nothing seemed to be too memorable about that night. He thought it was funny how much had changed since that night. He watched as she stepped to the right, entering the narrow kitchen and grabbed a glass from a cupboard above the sink on the right hand side.

"Don't worry about your shoes," Emily encouraged with a wave, as she turned on the tap.

Oliver wiped his shoes on the rug at the door and entered the kitchen, stopping beside Emily next to the sink.

After letting the tap run for a few seconds, Emily filled a glass and handed it to Oliver who took it and leaned up against the counter next to the sink. He drank half of it in one breath, then exhaled loudly as he took it away from his mouth. "Thanks," he said, feeling better already.

"You're welcome," Emily answered, then took up the spot across from Oliver on the opposite counter. "So what movie do you have picked out for tomorrow night?" she asked curiously, figuring that Oliver wouldn't have much of a say in choosing since he'd be watching with three young girls.

"So far I think it might be Tangled," he recalled, remembering Brianna's request from earlier that night. He furrowed his brow quickly then smiled, realizing that his awkward and upsetting encounter with Zoe happened earlier that evening and now he was standing in Emily's apartment, feeling relaxed and happy. _It's funny how things work out_, he thought.

"Thats a good one," Emily replied, feeling a dryness in her own throat. She cleared it and swallowed, hoping to get rid of it.

"You okay?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," she assured him and smiled, resting her hands against the counter.

For a few seconds they both stared at each other, lost in a comfortable silence that either wanted to break. Suddenly, Emily's throat once again began to tickle and she figured she would grab her own glass of water.

"Think I need one of those as well," she admitted, pointing to Oliver's glass. She pushed off of the counter and stepped forward, looking at the cupboards above and behind Oliver.

In one swift movement, Oliver stood tall, his right hand sliding underneath her chin, cradling Emily's face while resting his thumb across her cheek, catching her off guard. He leaned in and placed a gentle but lingering kiss on her lips, causing Emily to take in a quick, shallow breath in surprise. Just as she closed her eyes, Oliver broke the kiss and pulled away, just barely, and took in a breath of his own.

"Was that okay?" he asked while softly brushing his thumb across her cheek, wanting to make sure that he wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

With chills still spreading throughout her body and her heart pounding high in her chest, Emily gave a small, quick nod and took in a deep breath.

"Good," Oliver whispered, then brought his lips down onto hers again, this time with more passion. He clumsily placed his glass behind him on the counter and brought his left hand up, resting it on Emily's neck. She lifted her own arms and placed her hands on either side of Oliver's waist, feeling the need to lose herself in the kiss before Oliver pulled away again.

Oliver felt Emily relax into the kiss and smiled when her hands came to rest on his waist. He hadn't planned on kissing Emily just then, but when she stepped towards him he couldn't help himself. Now, he was more than happy that he did. Her lips we soft against his own and every so often she let out a soft, almost inaudible moan that made him want to deepen their kiss.

His left hand moved to rest on the back of her neck, pulling her forward every so slightly. Emily's heart was pounding and she couldn't believe that Oliver was kissing her this way. She had hoped that when he dropped her off for the night he might give her a small, quick kiss or at least a hug, but she had not expected this at all. But in no way was she complaining.

Before she could think about it any more, Oliver pulled away again, this time, pulling his hands away as well and leaning back. "I hope that was okay," he said, almost breathlessly, again wanting to make sure that he hadn't upset her.

Emily lowered her hands off of his hips and took a small step back. "No, that was ... that was fine," she answered, feeling suddenly embarrassed. She looked up at Oliver and saw that he looked flushed and realized that she must look the same way. She smiled then, receiving a smile from him as well.

Oliver looked over at the clock on the microwave and saw that it was almost three in the morning. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late," he said, then looked back at Emily and felt his breath catch. She looked so beautiful to him in that moment and he found it hard not to kiss her again. He cleared his throat and forced himself to speak again while stepping towards the door. "I should let you get some sleep," he added.

Emily followed him to the door and agreed that it was getting late but she worried about him walking so late at night. "Are you sure you'll be okay to walk home?" she asked with concern and stepped in front of him to unlock the door.

"I'll be fine," Oliver assured her as she pulled open the door.

Emily held onto the doorknob and smiled at him, giving him a quick nod to say that she believed him.

"Um ..." Oliver began, but stopped himself. He had wanted to say what a great time he had with her but he knew that it would have sounded too cliche and he didn't want to come off as corny. Instead, a slow grin grew across his face and he looked at her for a few seconds before speaking. "Thank Heather for me, will you?"

Emily let out a small giggle and smiled, knowing that she would have to thank Heather herself for pushing her to stay at the Penny. "I will," she added quickly.

Oliver stepped closer to Emily and placed both of his hands under her jaw, holding her gently. He leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips and pulled away, holding her close and smiling. "I'll talk to you on Sunday," he said softly, then dropped his hands to his side and stepped into the doorway.

"Sunday," Emily agreed, then watched as Oliver backed out into the hallway with a wide grin and waved before walking away down the hall. She closed the door and locked it, then brought her fingers to her lips with a smile, already looking forward to Sunday.

* * *

I must apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. There are probably many of them. Please let me know what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

So this is my attempt at an epilogue and I'm hoping it's not too predictable. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

**Epilogue**

_"Text me when you get here."_

Emily felt giddy as she finished sending her text, tucking her phone back in her pocket before heading back over to the stove, just in time to hear the buzzer inform her that it was preheated. She opened the door and placed the waiting tray of chicken wings inside, setting the timer for half an hour.

As if on cue, she heard footsteps approaching the apartment door, causing her heart rate to quicken, and she looked over her shoulder to see Oliver walk through it, looking exhausted and relieved to be home.

"Hey," he greeted her with a happy sigh and walked over to place a kiss on her cheek. "Did you have any trouble getting in?" he asked.

"No, your key worked fine," Emily informed him.

"You know, you didn't have to do this. I could have cooked myself, or just come over to your place," Oliver said, feeling bad that Emily had to lug food over to his apartment.

"I know I didn't _have_ to, I _wanted_ to," she tried to explain. Emily had insisted on cooking Oliver dinner at his place after a long set of days, wanting him to feel relaxed and not have to worry about cooking or heading back to his apartment afterwards. "How was practice?" she asked, changing the subject when Oliver grimaced and rotated his shoulder a few times.

"They're getting better. And I'm getting older," he admitted to Emily and himself. He had volunteered to help coach the girls basketball team at Emily's school when no one was available to coach, which would have resulted in a cancelled team. Emily was touched when Oliver offered to help out one of the girls' dads with coaching when he could, despite having a very busy schedule.

She walked over the him and draped her arms around his shoulders, giving him a quick kiss and then a tight hug. "What's this for?" he asked in surprise but not complaining, wrapping his own arms around her waist and hugging her back.

"Just a little thank you," she answered. "I know how busy you've been lately," she paused and pulled away. "And that is why I'm taking care of dinner and we're going to relax tonight."

Oliver let out a deep breath. "Sounds perfect," he admitted, then stepped back and took off his jacket. "You okay if I take a quick shower?" he asked, looking forward to a long hot shower after his day.

Emily stepped back into the kitchen and headed for the fridge. "Of course," she answered, and opened it, looking for the dip she bought earlier that day.

"K. I shouldn't be long," Oliver assured her then headed down the hall towards his bedroom. As an after thought he called out to her. "So what do you have planned for tonight?" he asked as he rifled through a drawer for a clean change of clothes.

"I rented a movie," Emily answered from the kitchen.

Oliver exaggerated a groan. "Ugh, not a chick flick!"

"How many chick flicks have I made you watch?" she laughed in response.

"First time for everything," he answered smartly.

"Relax, it's a comedy," she answered.

"YES!" he hissed triumphantly with an arm in the air as he walked across the hallway and into the washroom.

Emily, from the kitchen, shook her head and laughed at Oliver's reaction.

It had been just shy of three months since the night that Oliver and Emily ran into each other at the Penny and it didn't take long for them to start dating exclusively after that. It took some time for Emily to get used to his work schedule and worrying about him while he was on shift, but things were now starting to get into a comfortable rhythm and both were very happy with how things were going. Although she loved hearing about Oliver's daughters and asked questions about them frequently, Emily had yet to meet them. They had discussed it, at length, and Emily explained her hesitation in making that big step. Having worked with children of divorce, she was all too familiar with how hard it was on children to meet a parents new partner in the early stages of their relationship. And if they grew close to them and things didn't work out, they often became heartbroken as well. Emily told him that although she was looking forward to meeting his girls, she wanted to make sure that their relationship was solid first, which Oliver completely understood and actually appreciated. He had no doubts that his girls would meet Emily, and when they did they would love her.

Emily had just heard the shower turn off and knew that Oliver would be coming out of the washroom at any minute. She brought out the platter of wings and placed them on the coffee table in Oliver's living room just as he came walking down the hallway, with a disappearing cloud of steam trailing behind him. He felt so much better after the shower and was looking forward to spending time with Emily, and the spread she set out.

"You really outdid yourself," he admired as he approached the table.

Emily caught a whiff of Oliver's body wash and inhaled deeply, loving the smell. She cleared her throat and looked at the table. "They're just snacks," she answered, not knowing why he seemed so impressed. She had put together an assortment of finger foods that would be perfect for the night ahead. Chicken wings, a meat and cheese tray, veggies and dip, mini meatball, nacho dip and several different types of chips waited in front of them. _Perfect_, she thought.

Emily's phone vibrated in her pocket, catching her off guard and startling her a little. She excused herself as she walked by Oliver, saying she needed to grab bowls for the wing bones, and headed for the kitchen. Once hidden from Oliver she pulled out her phone and opened the text message. "_We're here_," it read and she smirked as she peaked over to see what Oliver was up to. He was leaning over the table, waving his fingers while deciding what to grab first, giving Emily a opportunity to head over to the door. She pressed the buzzer which opened the main door to the apartment building then quickly grabbed the bowls she said she needed.

"So what movie did you get?" Oliver asked as he threw himself down onto his couch, letting out a deep breath.

"Um ... it's ... you know what, I actually forget the name of it," she lied as she placed the bowls onto the table.

"Hm, sounds promising," he said, giving her a small grin as he popped a chip into his mouth.

They both turned when they heard a knock at the door and Emily straightened up a little too nervously, telling Oliver that she would get it. He looked at her skeptically and wondered what was going on.

"Hey," Andy greeted her as Emily opened the door.

"Hi, come in," Emily offered, as she stepped aside to let Andy and Sam pass.

"Hey, uh, what's going on?" Oliver asked from the living room as he stood up from the couch.

"It's nice to see you, too," Sam joked as he began taking off his jacket.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Welcome, come on in, but really," he turned to look at Emily. "What's going on?" he asked, looking confused. Sam and Andy slowly made their way into the living room, stopping near Oliver.

"Well," Emily began and walked into the kitchen. "You've been working really hard this week and ... beer?" she called out, looking out at Sam, who nodded with wide eyes. She opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer while continuing. "I figured that you needed to just relax tonight," she paused again, heading into the living room and handing a beer to Sam. "So I figured you and Sam could use a guys night," Emily shrugged as she handed Oliver his beer.

Since they had started dating, most of Oliver's time was divided up between spending time with his daughters and Emily, working, and now coaching basketball. He hadn't had much of an opportunity to see Sam outside of work lately and Emily was starting to feel really guilty about that, since they were usually so close. "Oh, and I didn't rent a movie. I know there's a game on that you wanted to watch tonight so I figured you two could just sort of pig out and watch that," she added as an after thought, nervously waiting for a response from Oliver.

With his mouth dropped open and his eyes fixed on Emily, Oliver stood still, completely surprised by what she had done. It was true, he hadn't spent much time with Sam lately but Sam understood that new relationships had their honeymoon periods and had told Oliver this, and that he was happy for him. And despite being busy lately, Oliver was enjoying spending time with and getting to know Emily.

"So what are you two going to do?" Sam asked, looking back and forth between Andy and Emily. He had been expecting to watch the game at Oliver's place with all four of them there and was confused by the sudden change in plans.

"Andy and I are going to grab a bite to eat," Emily answered, looking over at Andy. "You hungry?"

"Starving," she answered, with wide eyes.

"God, I love you," Oliver let out in a sharp exhale, surprising Emily.

She quickly looked over at him, feeling her mouth drop open slightly as her chest began to pound. Oliver took a step forward and stood right in front of her, shaking his head slowly and wearing a small smile that reached his eyes. "I love you too," she answered quietly, feeling almost out of breath. Oliver took an extra step towards her, closing the distance between them, and kissed her with a sharp intake of air before wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight embrace, still holding on to his bottle of beer. Emily felt her knees slightly give out and lost herself in the kiss, lifting her arms and holding on to either side of Oliver's neck, needing to feel him closer to her.

Behind them, Sam looked over at Andy with a raised eyebrow and shrugged. They both knew that they were clearly missing something since they didn't understand why Oliver and Emily were kissing so passionately in front of them. Sam never took Oliver as one for public displays of affection and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable watching his best friend kissing his girlfriend.

"Um, guys ... little uncomfortable over here," Sam cut in with squinting eyes.

Oliver broke the kiss and opened his eyes, still keeping his arms around Emily's waist. "Yeah, sorry Sammy," he began, then cleared his throat to get his voice back. "Just saying goodbye," he added with a small smile, knowing that Sam and Andy didn't get it.

Looking down, Emily dropped her hands from Oliver's neck and stepped back, feeling a little lost. She finally snapped out of her trance and headed for the kitchen table to grab her purse then looked over to see if Andy was ready to go.

"All set?" she asked, feeling a squeak in her voice.

Andy nodded and gave Sam a quick kiss. "Have fun," she said with a wink then headed for the door.

Oliver grabbed hold of Emily's hand as she passed by him on her way to the door. "Thank you," he said sincerely, running his thumb across the back of her hand.

She answered him with a smile and cupped his face with her free hand, giving him a gentle kiss. "I love you," she said quietly, then blushed.

"Love you too," he answered, feeling relieved.

"What was that all about?" Andy asked as her and Emily made their way down the hallway of Oliver's apartment building.

"What was what about?" Emily asked innocently.

"Uh, the crazy make out session we just had to watch," Andy explained.

Emily smiled deeply and felt herself blushing. "Sorry about that," she paused and shook her head, still smiling. "That was ... that was the first time we said 'I love you'," she explained.

Andy smiled, remembering how excited and goofy she felt when she first told Sam that she loved him, even though he didn't say it back. She knew how Emily was feeling and understood why she was acting so giddy. "That's great," she genuinely offered, not knowing what else to say.

"Wow," Emily suddenly exclaimed, almost startling Andy.

"What is it?"

"I get to meet Oliver's daughters," Emily excitedly answered.


End file.
